Heartbroken
by J.Caesar
Summary: Humphrey admits his love to Kate, but she turns him away to fulfill her duty to the pack. Before she realizes her huge mistake in doing so, he has already left Jasper. She sets out to find him, yet this proves a real challenge. During their adventures, Kate and Humphrey are both continously haunted by the only thing that they possess since they parted. A broken heart.
1. The Confession

_**Hi everyone,**_

 _ **Funny enough I came across this movie by accident. In truth I find it a shame that I haven't found it earlier. As you may have deduced from my earlier fanfics, I always enjoy 3D animated movies starring animals and this one is no different. I've seen part two and three as well, however I believe the first is significantly better. I've scanned some of the previous Alpha &Omega fanfictions and my eye fell on multiple stories that have Humphrey leave on the train. I like this idea, although naturally I'll have it unfold in my own way. I do so by making a small alteration. This will also be the point where I start my story. I will switch the points of view between Humphrey and Kate. I've never done this so I'd like to give that a try. Read along if you are interested in what I have in stall for you.**_

 _ **Kind Regards, J. Caesar**_

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 **Chapter 1. The Confession **

_-Humphrey-_

The wind blew through my fur as I stuck my head outside of the wagon. I stared into the distance. Soon we would be home, Kate and I. As any other I'd normally be thrilled to get back, but everything was different now. Spending the past few days with her had me wonder whether I could even spend any more without her. In the pack we'd still be friends, right? Yea, friends, that's what it would be. If only I were an alpha. I sighed. A billboard passed me by, happily displaying our arrival at Jasper Park. We had to get out soon. I turned around and walked over to her. She was still sleeping, curled up as always. If only I could let her sleep and have us drive by Jasper, maybe then we'd be together. I knew better than that. I leaned forward and nudged her cheek.

"Kate..." I whispered, "…Kate, wake up."

"Hmm, Humphrey?" she mumbled sleepily and she stretched out, "Where are we?".

I hesitated, I could still… No.

"We're eh… We're in Jasper."

She smiled and walked over to the side of the wagon. She sat down near the edge and I followed her example. Trees shot by us and I recognized some distinct features of our home. Apparently, she did so too.

"We're home." she said.

"Yep, we're home." I said a little awkwardly.

I stared at the ground. I decided that now was probably my best chance to say what I wanted to say.

"There's something I…" we both stopped after speaking simultaneously.

"Please, you first." I said, evading her eyes.

"Humphrey, I just wanted to tell you that these past couple of days have been… kind of … fun."

My heart jumped for joy and my eyes crossed hers, making her look away this time.

"You've been, kind of… Fun." she continued.

"Really?" I let out.

She sniggered.

"Really."

"Well that's, that's great. I told you we'd make a pretty good team."

"We do." she chuckled cutely.

"Okay… Well…"

Her compliment had left me lost for words. At first I was confident that I was going to tell her how I felt. Now, all that courage seemed to have been nothing but a mirage. My paws tapped nervously on the wooden floor, although I couldn't manage to keep them still.

"No-no-no, don't tell me, you have to go to the bathroom again?"

"Why? Do you see a truck stop?" I laughed insecurely.

I gazed down her infinitely beautiful brown eyes and my heart raced precariously fast.

"I just wanted to tell you, I… I-eh."

She smiled to me as I drowned in my own words. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"I… I love you Kate."

 _-Kate-_

Did I just hear it right or was my mind playing tricks on me? Humphrey was my closest friend and the past couple of days there wouldn't have been anyone that I had rather travelled with than him, but this was a big shock for me. He was helpful, friendly and very funny. Especially during our adventure he had been my rock and had me feel safe. I know that I could always rely on him, but did that mean I love him?

"Kate?"

I realized I was staring at him and I quickly looked away. Was I falling for an omega? If so, how could I? Alphas and Omegas don't pair. Moreover he was my best friend. My dad would never allow it that much was certain and if we got home, how could we be together? Suddenly I caught sight of the two packs of wolves. They were about to fight each other over the valley.

"Kate?" he repeated.

"Oh my gosh. Humphrey, look!" I said, pointing at the imminent battle.

"What?"

"We have to stop them!" I replied, glad I could postpone the discussion.

I jumped out of the train and ran towards the growling horde. I heard Humphrey follow me. He had never hesitated to follow me, he was always there for me. I shook my head, now was not the time. I had to stop this fight from happening.

"…but no, your daughter had to up and run away!" Tony spoke.

"I didn't run away!" I replied loudly.

All eyes turned to me as I ran down the cliff from where I had just called out. My family was the first to came over to greet me. My mom hugged me.

"We were so worried." she said.

"Where have you been?" my dad asked.

"Idaho." I said smiling, thinking back of Marcel's description.

"Idaho? What were you doing in Idaho?" dad asked surprised.

"We were taken by humans to another park."

"Why?"

Humphrey appeared next to me. I expected him to make a funny remark, however he stayed quiet, hence all still looked at me.

"It's a long story."

"Well, I'm glad you got home safely." my mom said.

"Yes, I came back-.."

"To marry Garth! Right?!" Tony interrupted me.

"What?" Humphrey let out.

Nobody paid attention to him. They waited for me to respond. I looked at Garth, then at Humphrey and finally at my dad. He nodded in the hope I would agree. I couldn't breathe. The decision I wanted to postpone had suddenly turned into a life or death situation. I could end this fight with a single word. It was my responsibility to end this fight. I couldn't walk away.

"Yes" I said, "and unite the packs!"

Everyone cheered. My dad smiled to me and looked proud. It was a good decision that would benefit both packs. But if it was, how came it felt like the wrong one? I looked at Humphrey.

"Humphrey… I-"

"No, Kate. It's okay. It's your responsibility." he said joyless.

I had never heard him sound like that. He walked away slowly with his tail between his legs. All around me, wolves congratulated me and I acted cheerful. This was only a mask. Deep down, it felt as if I had just made the biggest mistake of my life.

 _-Humphrey-_

Everything flashed by my eyes as I walked back to the den. The entire journey played again like a film, picturing all of our moments. At the time it seemed as if we were destined to be together, just the two of us. I had laid down my soul to her, confessed my feelings, hoping she'd return them. For a moment I was even so stupid as to believe she would. In the end all she had done was use me to get home. It was too good to be true. Real alpha-like, Kate, real alpha-like.

Even though I had walked rather slow, I was the first to get home. The rest was probably still celebrating the marriage. Thinking of it made me angry again. I punched the wall of my cave so hard it hurt my paw. I didn't care. Tears sprang in my eyes. I blamed them on the pain in my paw, yet I knew this wasn't true.

"I can't believe this marriage!" I yelled.

"Marriage?" A voice said.

It gave me a fright. I hadn't expected anyone to be here. In a fake scratching motion I wiped away my tears before turning around. It were Marcel and Paddy.

"Hey guys! What brings you here?" I exclaimed, truly happy to see their faces.

"Well we stepped by to see whether you had indeed gotten off the train." Paddy replied.

"So, marriage..." Marcel stated, moving his eyebrows up and down.

"What?" I asked surprised.

"Does this mean you and mademoiselle are finally an item?" he laughed naughtily.

"No, it means Kate used me to get home."

"What? You're not the groom?" Paddy demanded disappointed.

I shook my head and looked away so they wouldn't see my eyes watering again. I looked up at the sky and caught a glimpse of the moon. The same moon we once howled to. I almost forgot that my friends were with me and it wasn't until Paddy spoke that I broke free from my stare.

"Well, we'll give you some time alone."

The two birds flew away. It felt like I had forced them to leave, but I knew they wouldn't see it that way and I was glad they gave me some space. I looked around the rest of the den, eventually coming across Kate's cave. I tried to avoid looking at it, but then spotted the place where I first spoke with her. I suddenly realized how unbearable this place had become. Everything reminded me of her, not mention that soon I would have to watch her spend time with that Barth guy too. I knew that wasn't his real name, but it felt good to intendedly misspell his name.

I heard a noise and in the distance I saw the rest of the pack returning. They were joined by the other clan and happily conversed with each other. Apparently it took only a few words for everyone to become friends. Then again, it was my entire world that had collapsed under the weight of those same words. My eyes stung again and I went inside my cave. I had no desire to speak to anyone tonight.

 _End of chapter 1. _

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_**So, I hope you liked my first chapter. If you have advice/tips/comments to share with me, please review.**_


	2. Emotional Hardship

_**I'm very touched by all of your positive reviews and I thank you all for your support. You have made me a little nervous though. Now I have the fear that I might not live up to the quality of my first chapter. But rest assured. I'll do my utmost best to keep it up.**_

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 **Chapter 2. Emotional Hardship**

 _-Humphrey-_

I awoke from a restless sleep. Surprising as it may sound, it was not the partying of the others that had kept me from sleeping. It was an entirely different cause, one which I knew would give me insomnia for a long time still. Kate and me howling to the moon. It had been the only thing on my mind throughout the cold night. However, as depressing as it was to me, there was no denying that moment was nothing but a memory. Here she was an alpha and I an omega, and alphas and omegas don't couple in our clan. Back then it felt so real, like we were meant for each other, like we shared more than just our howl. I was a fool. The day I had feared the most, Kate's wedding, was today and there was nothing I could do about. I wasn't even sure I would have the strength to witness it.

"Humphrey!"

My friends showed up in the entrance of my cave. They smiled and welcomed me back. Although I was glad to see them again, I realized with a slight sense of guilt that being with Kate during the entire trip had me completely forget about them.

"Dude, where were you yesterday?" Salty asked.

"I was tired." I answered evasively.

"Good job bringing her home." Shakey said, slapping my shoulder.

He reminded me of the brief moment in the train when I thought about not waking her up. The short-lived idea of not coming back. The idea of running away, together. I pulled myself together just in time to spare my friends the sight of seeing me cry. I faked a laugh, though nobody joined me, making it kind of awkward.

"Anyways, thanks to you, Kate can marry Garth!" he continued.

"Yea… thanks to me…" I said sadly.

"Why are you so down? Don't you think it's great that the packs unite?" Salty asked.

"Oh sure, it's the perfect solution." I said sarcastically, although they didn't seem to notice.

"It sure is! We get meat, the fighting stops and Kate gets the wolf of her dreams. Everybody wins!" Moonch said cheerfully.

All this talk of Kate marrying someone else had me worked up beyond restraint. Once more the wall proved a good outlet for my built up anger. Or was it disappointment? Either way, I punched it again, raising the suspicious of my friends.

"What's wrong Humphrey?"

I only stared at the rocky wall I had stomped and did not answer them.

"I think it's best if I go." I said eventually.

"Yea, we all do. The wedding will start soon." My big friend said.

"No. I mean go go. As in leave this place go."

"What? But you just got back?" Salty replied indignantly.

"I don't care. I can't stand this anymore."

My friend was about to ask what, but I rudely interrupted him.

"EVERYTHING!"

As I walked away, I could feel their eyes in my back. They knew what was bothering me, I was certain of it, yet they did their best to evade discussing the matter. I didn't blame them. After all they couldn't fix my broken heart either. As good as my friends were and as much as I liked hanging out with them, I needed to be alone. I needed to leave Jasper. Leave home and friends… leave Kate.

 _-Kate-_

Last night's celebrations had cheered me up more than I had anticipated. Everyone had thanked me for uniting the two clans and all the girls had congratulated me with Garth. My dad boasted he had never been prouder of his daughter and my mom had raked up all stories of her own marriage with my dad. Still I had had trouble sleeping tonight. Every sound had awoken me and I felt all but rested this morning. I sat outside now and Lilly brushed my tail with a pinecone.

Something inside of me protested against the wedding. It annoyed me. In my head it was evident that I had done the right thing in choosing Garth. I am supposed to do this, as daughter of the pack's leader. Humphrey should know that I had no choice. The more I gave thought to him, the stronger the feeling in my gut nagged. I looked how all the wolves gathered in the valley.

"Wow, it's a big crowd." I said.

"Yea. Good times." she replied emotionless.

I hoped that I was able to blame my internal struggle on stage fright. It didn't work, and Lilly's indifferent answer wasn't helping either. She was never this sombre, what was wrong with her today? Now that I recollected, I couldn't remember seeing her yesterday at the party. I guess she did something with the other omegas. Perhaps if she could tell me what Garth was like, then maybe I could tame my subconscious and decide whether I had made the right choice.

"So I heard you and Garth spend some time together." I asked.

Suddenly she pulled hard and the scuffing pinecone hurt my tail.

"Aw! Lilly?" I sparked.

She apologized. Whatever it had happened yesterday, it had her daydreaming now.

"I'm sure he's perfect marrying material?" I convinced myself.

"Well, if you like that sort of thing. Big, brawny and perfect." she sighed.

Although I didn't quite see Garth that way, I'm glad see pointed out that he was indeed a good-looking wolf. But there was something in the way she said it that made me suspicious. I couldn't place it. Then I noticed something else.

"Lilly, you're wearing your fur back!" I said smiling.

"Sorry, I know."

She immediately rubbed over her head. Again she responded so non-Lilly-like, what was the matter with her? Before I could ask however, she went inside the den.

"But… I liked it…" I spoke more or less to myself as she was already gone.

A stone fell next to me on the ground and gave me a fright. I followed the trajectory of the unexpected projectile with my eyes and came across a goose and a duck.

"Marcel, Paddy!"

I hugged them both.

"I'm so happy to see you two."

"Well, we flew in to see that you made it home." the duck replied.

"And what do we find? Voila! You're getting married!" Marcel exclaimed.

They both exchanged an awkward smile. I had a feeling there was something they left unspoken, but my curiosity as to how they found out took control of me.

"Yea, I'm getting married. Who told you?"

They repeated their previous action, sharing a look of mixed feelings. What was the matter with everyone. They all acted so strange as if nobody was truly happy with the unison of the clans. Even my own stomach had turned on me since I had made that decision.

"Well?"

"Your former travelling companion." Paddy said softly.

"Humphrey?"

Saying his name out loud felt like a knife piercing my chest. Clearly the confession of his feelings towards me had scarred me in the only place I had hoped it hadn't. I shook my head. No-no-no! I must marry Garth, it is my duty. I wasn't sure how it looked from the outside, yet my avian frieds probably took notion of my confusion as Marcel attempted to change the subject.

"Well, I'm sure that the other guy is one lucky wolf."

Paddy slapped his friend against the shoulder and gave me an apologetic smile.

"I mean, are you looking forward to the wedding-.."

Again the goose got smacked.

"I mean… your fur looks nice."

I watched the scene with a raised eyebrow. This was odd, even for them. Then they both chuckled insecurely. Once again I was too late to ask what was going on. This time my dad showed up to take me to the valley. He gave my friends a look of mistrust and they quickly flew away, wishing me the best.

"Were you just talking to a goose?"

"And a duck, yea." I sniggered.

 _-Humphrey-_

In the distance I saw Kate and her father walk down the cliff. She smiled, probably because she was about to marry the alpha of her dreams. She had completely forgotten me since we got home. Not that I had spoken to her since we were back, but I had already expressed my love to her. I didn't want to be pushy. Somehow I had the faint hope that she would readdress this topic herself, however it was like we had never even had that conversation. In the crowd on the other side of the valley I recognized him. The guy that was about to steal that which was most dear to me. The tears streamed down my face.

I couldn't watch it, I simply couldn't. When I turned around, Marcel and Paddy stood behind me and saw my grief. I didn't know how long they had been standing there, yet I cared little for finding it out. The looks on their faces betrayed that they were equally disappointed that things hadn't worked out between me and Kate. Marcel opened his beak to say something, yet shut it without making a sound. It was probably an attempt to cheer me up, but just as me, he didn't know how to do so.

"When is the next train leaving?"

After a brief moment of hesitation Paddy told me when and where I had to be. I was happy to hear I would be able to catch a ride very soon. I thanked them and said goodbye.

"Are you sure you want to go?"

"Yes. I really need to get away from here, get away from her."

"I understand." Marcel nodded with a sad face.

"Well, maybe our paths cross again." Paddy said.

"I'm sure they do. Thanks guys."

"Au revoir, my friend."

As I ran down the hill, I caught sight of the train in the corner of my eye. The closer I came to intersecting its path, the more I began to trust Paddy's calculations. When I was no more than twenty metres away, however the locomotive was already in front of me. His estimation had a slight margin of error. I slowed down a little to make sure I would hit the correct wagon. No. He simply hadn't accounted for my inexpressible urge to run away. Suddenly I saw me and Kate sitting in the opening. It was only a brief mirage, but strong enough to assure me that departure was the right choice. If I were to stay, my feelings for her would never allow me to witness her pairing with Barth. I grinned. Calling him that would never cease to feel justified.

I leaped and felt a shock going through my body as my paws touched the fast-moving wooden floor. I sat down and stared at the cliffs of the valley that distanced themselves from me. Once more my eyes watered. I left behind my childhood and all of its memories, my pack that had sustained me my entire life, my friends who had always been there for me. Still, all of those things paled to insignificance in comparison to what I would surely miss the most about Jasper.

"Goodbye Kate." I whispered.

 _End of chapter 2._


	3. Scarred for Life

_**Chapter three everyone.**_

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 **Chapter 3. Scarred for Life**

 _-Kate-_

As I walked towards the middle of the valley, the rest of the clan followed me at a distance. My family behind me, then the rest. From the other side, Garth and his pack had adapted a similar formation. Today was the day everyone had awaited, the merging of the packs that would benefit everyone. Nonetheless, my gut continued to pain me. Each step closer to Garth, the intensity of my rumbling belly increased. Eventually we met at the centre of the valley. Tony walked past us and sat down next to my dad. My fiancée grinned at me uncomfortably.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes." I replied.

"Good." he said, absent-minded.

He stared right past me. Something was troubling him as well, which I found surprising. During the moonlight howl he had been so determined to impress me, yet now he seemed hesitative.

"Are you okay?"

"You bet! No problems on this end! Ready to go-go-go!" he answered strangely loud.

He too acted so weird regarding this marriage. No-one in my direct vicinity had shown any sign of being truly content about this marriage. Even my mother seemed to have her doubts. Well, everyone except for my dad and Tony that is.

"So are you gonna start this thing or me?" Garth asked insecurely.

Not exactly a romantic proposition, but it had to do.

"Let's start together."

As we performed the marital rituals, the doubts kept roiling in my stomach. I refused to listen to them. I had no choice. Whatever stupid feelings my subconscious tried to exert, I had to marry this guy, for all our sakes. The last thing to make the bonding definitive was rubbing noses. I closed my eyes and leant forward. Suddenly I saw Humphrey's face. He smiled at me, cute as always and his smile calmed my noisy inner feelings. When he winked, it struck me. The unnerving sense was finally clear as a bell. I loved him too. I couldn't be without him and trying to pretend otherwise would only cause more heartache than I already suffered now. I opened my eyes. To my shock I saw Garth's nose almost touch mine. Immediately I backed away and for the first time since Humphrey had told me he loved me, my unruly gut feeling subsided.

"Kate? What are you doing?"

"I… I-eh…"

I glanced back at my parents. Their panicky faces were equally curious as to why I pulled away at the last instant.

"I… can't."

"You can't! Yeahea!" Garth cheered.

I gave him a surprised look. Apparently I wasn't the only one with second thoughts about our bonding. I heard my dad snarl at Tony and he showed up next to me.

"Kate, Kate. Why can't you marry Garth?"

"Because…I…"

I looked at him and his disappointed eyes stung me like needles, yet I knew I was doing the right thing. As everyone waited for me to explain myself, I laughed and knew I had no trump card left but the truth.

"I fell in love with an omega…"

My confession made my mom faint at the spot. My dad's sarcastic glare was normally the most daunting feature I could encounter, however I was not ashamed this time. I thought of Humphrey's cute smile and I knew I loved him more than anything.

"An alpha in love with an omega. That's against pack-law!" Tony laughed disapprovingly.

"Dad." Garth spoke, "I also am in love with an omega."

As if our shock wasn't real enough that he too broke wolf custom, it was Lilly whom he approached. That's why she was so down all that time, I was marrying the one _she_ loved.

"What have you done to my son, Winston?!" Tony exclaimed furiously.

"An omega and an alpha? An alpha and an omega?" my dad mumbled with a befuddled look.

"This is madness. This isn't our custom. This isn't our way." Tony preached. "TAKE THE VALLEY!"

I looked around and saw how the other pack charged at my own and an intense battle commenced. I watched fur being torn, paws getting bitten, wolves being tackled. Amidst this chaos I saw my dad and Tony facing off. As I had been carried away by the moment, I had all but thought of the consequences of my actions. All of this was my fault and I didn't know how to fix it. A flock of birds soared over my head and a rumbling noise echoed through the valley. A huge group of caribous was galloping straight towards us.

"Stampede!" I cried as loud as I could.

My dad was the only one that heard me and in turn he alerted Tony. They both commanded the packs to scatter to the sides, the only place you could be safe. I followed the group and pushed Candu along with me on the way. Everyone moved up the hills as fast as they could. When I reached the top I looked down to see whether everyone had made it. To my horror I witnessed my dad and Tony caught in front of the large herd.

"We have to help them!" I called out.

My friends agreed, yet all we could do was run along on the edge of the cliff. I didn't know how long the two leaders would be able to outrun the thousand hooves that chased them. As I ran up front, Hutch was shortly behind me.

"What do we do Kate?"

"Help them!"

"But how?"

I didn't know either. In blind panic I was sprinting at my fastest, hoping to catch up with them. The longer we ran however, the greater the distance between them and us seemed to become. Then a steep cliff surprised me and before Hutch could grab me, I lost my balance and slid down the rocky wall. I scuffed my thigh on a sharp stone and landed flat on my stomach, forcing all the air out of my lungs. I couldn't get up, I could only gasp for oxygen. Then, the catastrophe unfolded.

Tony's paw lost its grip and he tripped, stumbling into the sand. My dad's good nature prevented him from leaving the other wolf behind and he also halted. It was already too late. Tony got trampled by the vast amount of caribou hooves, however this didn't stop my dad from trying to reach him. Growling and waving his paws he tried to protect his congener, yet eventually he too sustained a blow to the head and fell backwards on the ground. Seeing it happen, my breath halted and I winced to protect myself from seeing the gruesome scene.

"Kate, are you alright?"

Hutch and the others had reached my position at the bottom of the cliff. He inspected the wound on my side, but I pushed him away and pointed at what I had just seen. I didn't want them to help me, they had to help my dad. The caribou had moved on and as the cloud of dust they left in their wake settled, the bruised bodies of Tony and my dad were uncovered. When I got up, the scratch seared like a flame.

"Dad!" I yelled, walking over to him as fast as I could.

Garth showed up as well and headed for his own father. I nudged my dad's cheek, but he didn't respond. The tears rolled down my nose. One of them fell onto his face, causing him to regain conscientiousness. He respired with sheer difficulty.

"Dad!"

"Kate." he said weakly.

"Dad… I'm so sorry."

He shook his head as best he could.

"Don't be. I'm sure Humphrey will make you happy."

"How did you -.."

He laughed and coughed at the same time. I smiled through my tears. He always seemed to know everything about me.

"Eve…" he said.

"I am here Winston."

I was surprised that she was already standing behind me, I hadn't heard her coming at all. I moved back to give them privacy. My mom cried as she rubbed his nose for the last time. Then, my dad exhaled and he became quiet. My mom began to howl and others joined in. I sought Lilly and found here cuddling up to Garth, whose expression indicated that Tony too had succumbed to his wounds. Both the packs were left leaderless by the loss of both alpha males. After a couple of minutes, the howling seized and all of the wolves silently retreated to their dens. In the end only me, my mom, Garth and Lilly remained. I watched my sister and my former wedding partner seek comfort with one another and suddenly I wondered why Humphrey wasn't here. I thought of asking, but decided it wouldn't be appropriate.

"Mom." I whispered.

She did not respond to me. Quietly she gazed at my dad. She didn't cry anymore, yet I wondered if this was a good thing. Maybe she blamed me for his death. I started weeping again. She had every right to, it _was_ my fault. If I had married Garth, none of this would've happened. I needed Humphrey now more than ever. I wanted the feeling of his protection over me as I had felt during our journey. I felt a paw on my shoulder and looked up. It was my mom's.

"It's not your fault, Katie." she said.

"It is!" I replied, wiping away my tears even though they were immediately replaced.

My dad was dead because of me. The feeling of guilt weighed even heavier than neglecting Humphrey had done. My mom shook her head and pointed at my sister as she walked over to us. She kissed my dad's head. In the back Garth gave us a slow nod and my mom returned the respectful gesture. Lilly gave us a sad smile and together they walked away from us.

"If you had married Garth, Lilly would've never forgiven you and you yourself would never have been happy either." my mom continued. "All your father ever wanted was for both of you to be happy. You've already granted his wish for Lilly, now it is your turn."

Her words worked better than any sedative ever could. I hugged her and noticed that her tears moisturized my hair. I believe mine did the same with her, but neither of us cared.

"Go on. Find him." she smiled once I let her go.

Before I walked away I turned back to her.

"But what about you?"

"I'll stay with your dad a little while longer."

 _End of chapter 3. _


	4. Bitter Loneliness

**_I haven't really got much to say right now. I love reading your reviews :D and please enjoy chapter four._**

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 **Chapter 4. Bitter Loneliness  
**

 _-Humphrey-_

When I woke up, the train was still moving. The sun shone onto my eyes, making it even harder for me to open them. I rolled aside into the shade of the door and slowly regained awareness of my whereabouts. The shrieking sound of the wheels on the metal tracks, the creaking wooden floor of the wagon and the blocks of hay stacked against the sides. For a moment I wondered where Kate was, but then I recollected that I was traveling alone this time. The memory of her caused a pang in my chest. I wondered how it would take until her name wouldn't hurt me anymore. I walked to the entrance and watched the sun sink behind the western horizon, after which it would show up in the east the next morning. It was much later than, I had probably dozed off. Not a real surprise considering the steady swaying of the wagon and the fact that I hadn't slept much last night.

How far had I travelled thus far? I tried to spot any features in the landscape that might seem familiar to me, but nothing had really stuck with me from my former trip, hence I recognized nothing either. As the train made a turn I spotted an upcoming village and I got a fright as the train abruptly hit the brakes. I had to get out while I could. Humans are not overly fond of my kind, let alone if we show up in undesirable locations. The back entrance of a truck stop for example, as my own experience had taught me.

I jumped out and gracefully landed on all fours. I was just in time. The train came to a complete halt only a few seconds later. I hid in some bushes and watched how the engine-driver got out and began inspecting his cargo. The sight of his gun made me nervous. The last time one of those was pointed at me Kate rescued me. This time she wasn't here though. An uncomfortable stir caused by my woebegone memories. I forced myself to stop thinking of her, but annoying as my mind was, this made it nigh impossible to do so. Therefore the cramps in my underbelly persisted.

When the engine-driver had made his round I headed back towards the wagon. Unexpectedly, my nose caught an interesting scent. I sniffed around and determined its source in the village. It would be foolish to go in there, yet my growling stomach convinced me otherwise. I decided that the smell of food was too alluring to ignore. Carefully I snuck around the wooden houses, checking every corner before crossing a street. At last there it was: a tasty, steaming haunch of meat, presented on a windowsill. The sight alone had me salivating. I prowled closer until I was only a nose-length away. I heard a dog bark and froze as I scanned my surroundings. Nobody was here. In a swift motion I grabbed hold of the ham and made a run for it. I didn't quite remember how I got where I was, but once outside I could circle the town undetected. I made it to the forest and sighed relieved. It was a gamble, one I had won this time.

I sought a suitable place to eat my catch. Since I had no intention of waiting very long to do just that, the first thing I came across sufficed. It was a half-buried tree stump that provided me a roof and some cover. Greedily I ate the tasteful hunk of flesh. Its rich flavour and fatty edges were a true feast. After having consumed this heavenly meal, I closed my eyes. Unwantedly, I drifted away in memories again, memories of a certain alpha.

 _-Kate-_

"Gone?" I asked shocked.

"Yea, gone."

I stood perplexed as Salty gave me the answer without wincing. All afternoon I had been looking for Humphrey, but it seemed as if he had vanished into thin air. When I had gotten to his cave and had found it empty I hadn't possessed the patience to wait for his return. Instead I had searched all the other caves, in fact I believe every inch of our den. On my route I had checked his place two more times, hoping I had missed him somewhere. Now, against better judgement I returned to his cave once more. This time, Salty was there and being one of Humphrey's best friends I asked him if he knew where to go. Sadly, he had given me the answer I had so desperately denied for the past hour.

"Since when?"

The omega rubbed the back of his head.

"This morning I think."

"You think?" I let slip in a less friendlier tone than I wanted.

"Well, he wasn't really clear on whether he was actually gonna leave."

I looked at him. If he hadn't even shared his plans with one of his closest friends, how would I ever be able to find out where he went. Salty took notion of my disorientation and called in some help.

"Hey Moonch!"

The rotund wolf came over and Salty reassured me that his big friend's memory was better than his own. For my sake, I hoped this was true. Upon being asked to recollect Humphrey's words, I found myself in luck as Moonch remembered every word.

"He said: I gotta leave this place. I can't stand it anymore. Everything bothers me."

"That's it?"

Moonch nodded. Maybe I wasn't as lucky as I had initially thought. I thanked them and dripped off to my cave. It was getting dark, yet nobody was home. Lilly was probably with Garth and my mom was undoubtedly still with my dad. I lay down at my usual spot and shivered. It was uncomfortably cold with nobody else around. I curled up to get warmer, though it only gave me a stinging feeling in the wound on my thigh. If only my family was here or better yet, Humphrey. I felt my heart pound harder every time his face crossed my mind. Suddenly I wondered if I would ever see him again. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, although I couldn't shake the feeling of having to spend my life without him. A tear rolled down my cheek. Never before had I felt this lonely.

 _-Humphrey-_

A soft breeze blew in my face. I got up, noting that the bitterness of the cold hadn't done my muscles much good. I stretched out my body and looked up at the sky. It was too light, something was off. It was then that I realized the sun was standing at the wrong horizon. Immediately I was fully awake. I had slept through the night without knowing it. I jumped up and sprinted back to the village, fighting the cramps of my stiffened limbs. Upon my arrival I recognized the silhouette of the train as it drove away from me into the distance. I had missed it.

"That's just great." I complained.

Not that there was anyone to listen to my outspoken nuisance, but I reckoned that wasn't so bad after all. At least no-one would be rubbing my face into the fact that I missed the train because of my own stupidity. I gave the town a wide berth and proceeded my journey on foot. It felt good to stretch my legs, it warmed up my frozen muscles. I had to keep in mind to find a better shelter tonight.

I continued along the train tracks for another half an hour before I headed inland. I was parched and in need of some water. Also did the leftovers of my last dinner make me a target for flies. Fortunately it didn't take long before I came across a mountain stream. The water clattered itself onto a couple of rocks before proceeding its journey to the nearest lake. The cool fluid rid me of my dry mouth and I washed my face as well to rinse off the bits of ham.

 _*Crack*_

The sound of a snapping branch alerted me. I ceased all of my actions and pricked up my ears. I listened closely to detect any other unnerving noises, however it remained quiet. I looked around and observed every bush carefully. The vegetation wasn't very dense so anything big enough to attack me would probably not be able to hide. With this in mind I bend over to drink some more water, however the feeling that someone was watching me persisted. Just as I thought of how to discover who stalked me, the answer hit me on the back and I got slammed on the rocky ground.

"Why are you here?!" a voice shouted.

If the pain in my chest from the hard floor wasn't bad enough, my attacker also blew up my eardrums. I tried to see what or who was standing on my spine, but a paw pressed my nose back onto the pebbles of the riverbed.

"I asked you a question!"

The voice was unmistakably female.

"Name's Humphrey." I replied.

"That's not what I asked!"

Whoever she was, she had quite a temper. So could use a laugh, however I was sure that my mental state made me unable to give her some. Being pressed to the ground for a few seconds now, I realized that my assailant wasn't that heavy and if I could catch her by surprise I might be able to turn the tables. I mumbled something inaudible and she reacted as I had hoped.

"What was that?"

I felt her lean forward to hear me better and I pushed my hind legs against the ground with all the strength I had in them. The sudden lift sent the hostage taker rolling over my head into the water. I got up and finally had a chance to look at whoever jumped me. It was a slender female wolf with maroon fur and a fawn colouration on her belly and the inside of her ears. She shook the water from her wet manes, after which they fell down till her shoulders.

"Sorry about that." I apologized, "But I rather speak face to face if you don't mind."

She gave me an irritated glare, yet didn't argue with my statement. I noticed that her eyes were dark green as they scintillated by the sun's reflection in the creek in which she stood.

"May I ask why you jumped me?" I tried.

"May I ask what you're doing here?"

"Passing through."

"Really?" she said mistrustful.

I nodded and smiled, trying to make myself look more convincing. I wasn't sure whether I succeeded at that, though she sat down and observed me from head to tail.

"So you're a lone wolf?"

The term reminded me of Kate somehow. Luckily the adrenaline still rushed through my veins and disabled the emotional pain I would otherwise endure by recalling her.

"Sure am."

"And you came from?"

"Jasper Park." Before she could ask anything else I seized my chance. "I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

"I didn't tell you and I feel no urge to share it with you." she responded hostile.

"Well, since I have already answered three of your questions, you might at least do me the courtesy of telling me what it is." I reasoned.

Her stance made it clear that she did not share my point of view. I didn't know why she was so paranoid. And what could possibly be the harm in sharing your name? I raised an eyebrow as I awaited her reply. Her emerald eyes still stared at me coldly. After a brief moment of silence, my patience had run dry and I frowned. If she wasn't even willing to give me her name, than sticking around would be a waste of time.

"Where are you going?" she said when I walked away.

"I'm moving on. If you're not saying anything there's no reason for me to stay." I replied annoyed.

"W-wait!"

I stopped and turned around. Her eyes were different now. The former hostility had made room for the anxiety of being left alone. It lasted only a fraction of second, but that was long enough for me to recognize it. For it was that same feeling of loneliness that troubled me ever since Kate's marriage. She cleared her throat and readapted her detached attitude.

"Abigail. My name is Abigail."

 _End of chapter 4. _


	5. Memories

_**Hey everyone,  
**_

 _ **I'm sorry to tell you that this will be my last update for quite some time. Tomorrow I'll be going on holiday. Of course I'll keep writing, but it depends on whether I'll have access to the web if I'll be able to put them online. Therefore it is possible that I update, but I don't expect it. Anyway, I hope to find you all still here once I return. Have a nice summer.**_

 _ **Kind Regards, J. Caesar**_

* * *

 **Chapter 5. Memories**

 _-Kate-_

The next morning I felt just as terrible as before I went to sleep. My restless night had given me a headache and had me dead-tired today. I yawned and went to the river to wash myself with water to abolish my weary state. The icy liquid cooled the burning scratch on my side and decreased the severity of my migraine. It was still early, but I didn't want to risk missing the first hunt of the day. I needed some distraction and I was confident that my injury wouldn't slow me down. When I got back to my cave, Lilly awaited me and asked where mom was. I shook my head.

"She's still with dad."

"Oh… I see."

We both stared at the ground, not knowing what to say. This was rare moment. Mostly we talked about everything and especially with all that had happened yesterday, we ought to have lots to discuss. Instead we were both quiet. It was my sister who eventually broke the long-lasting silence.

"Thank you… for not marrying Garth I mean."

I waved my paw to symbolize that she didn't had to thank me for it. Then she said the last thing I wanted to hear.

"I think you did the right thing for yourself too. You and Humphrey make a good team."

The hand of grief once again clutched itself firmly around my heart. Humphrey and I, we'd make a good team. That is one of the last things he said to me before he left. What if was the last thing he would ever say to me? I felt the tears coming in, but I didn't want them to.

"Kate, what's wrong?" my sister asked.

Her comforting violet eyes made me give up my struggle and I started crying. She hugged me tightly and waited for me to explain. In between my snivelling I told her about Humphrey leaving the pack and that nobody knew where he went. She patted my back and made appeasing sounds.

"We'll find him, sis, don't cry."

"Lilly?"

I got a fright as I heard Garth behind me. Who else was with him and what would they think of me seeing me like this? My sister let me go and went over to him. Quickly I dried my eyes before turning around. Fortunately the muscular wolf was alone.

"I think you'll have to go without her." Lilly said to him.

"What? Go where?"

"I'm taking the alphas to go hunting. With the fusion of the packs, we need a huge amount of food." he explained.

With Tony gone, the eastern pack had appointed Garth as their leader and his marriage with Lilly had been reason enough for him to fuse our two clans.

"I'm coming too." I said determined.

"Are you sure you should do that?" my sister asked.

"Yes! I'm sure!" I snapped.

I immediately regretted reacting so aggressively, she was merely concerned about me.

"Alright then. Let's go."

 _-Humphrey-_

After extracting her name I had hoped Abigail would become slightly more talkative. This was only half-true, all she did was ask more questions. I told her what Jasper Park looked like, what my favourite spots had been, I described my former friends and how we had practised sliding a log downhill. Once in a while I managed to deduce from her expression that she liked what I had to say, but that was just about it. In the end I believe I had told her the complete story of my life… except for Kate. When she asked why I left my pack I gave her a vague answer, that I didn't feel at home anymore. Since I tried to forget about Kate I figured now would be a good start even though her memory still afflicted me.

"I left because I love to travel. There is nothing more beautiful than discovering new places." Abigail told me.

My instincts told me this wasn't true, but maybe that was just because she sensed I was not completely honest about it as well. After that she seemed to have run out of questions. I decided that it was my turn to ask some questions.

"Did you come from around here or somewhere else?"

She shook her head. Okay, maybe another question.

"And how long since you left?"

She shrugged. It annoyed me that even after telling everything about myself she still wouldn't share anything of her own life.

We reached a cliff and were given a spectacular view of the area. We sat down and I stared in awe at the magnificence the sight had to offer. It was a rocky landscape, mostly dominated by conifers, but there were groups of deciduous trees here and there as well. A crystal lake lay at the centre as a blue iris in an eye of green within a socket of mountains. Not far from it I recognized the miniature image of my train slowly rolling over the tracks, headed South. I smiled as I thought of how many wolves could say that they had travelled with a train. Abigail took notion of my expression and demanded to know what entertained me.

"I will tell you on the condition that you will answer my questions as well…" I proposed.

She bit her lip and stared down at the landscape.

"…starting off with what the real reason is that you left your pack."

As if struck by lightning she glared at me with pure hatred.

"You think I was lying?! You don't believe I like to travel?" she shouted angrily.

I gulped, caught off guard as her mood went below zero in just a fraction of a second. I should have been more subtle than to ask straight away.

"You have no idea what I've been through, why I had to leave!" she yelled with a breaking voice.

She more or less confessed to have lied about the true reason, but judging by the emotions my question arose, I feel like I was wrong to have asked her. She tried to kill me with her eyes, yet underneath the anger I detected severe heartache. Pain caused by the memory of the events that led to her departure.

"I-I-I'm sorry I-.."

"You think your life was bad? I got betrayed by my own family." she burst out in tears. "They were supposed to protect me, but they left me when I needed them most."

I felt guilty. I felt like a jerk having demanded her to come forth about her past. I was eager to forget my own reason therefore I should have respected the fact that she was too. I leaned forward to try and comfort her, but she bit at my paw.

"Don't you touch me. You have no idea what I went through."

As I watched the grief of her past weigh so heavy on her, I thought of my own situation. If someone would've tried to pull my story out of me, I would probably react the same way.

"I think I do, Abigail." I said.

"Don't be ridiculous. You just didn't feel at home."

"The reason I didn't feel at home is because the wolf I had loved my entire life pretended to care for me only long enough to use me to get back to the one she was gonna marry."

Unexpectedly I had managed to recollect the reason of my broken heart without shedding a single tear. Abigail blinked and stared at me to see whether I lied. Now that I least tried to make myself look worth of her trust I succeeded. She moved closer to me.

"So you were betrayed as well?"

I nodded with a sad smile and stared at the natural scenery that lay before us in all its grace.

"Some view, hunh?" she said, copying my gaze.

"Some view…" I replied.

 _-Kate-_

We prowled through the tall grass and drew ever closer to our prey. All the alphas moved inaudibly as we were trained to do and the caribou had no idea we were nearing. With our increase in number by the merge, we were able to have someone at almost every position now. I was happy to do something else than to hang around and think of Humphrey. The vision of his adorable smile reappeared in my mind. It warmed me but gave me a tingling in every corner of my body. The fear of never seeing him again haunted me still. I winced and tried to ban the thought from my mind. I had to concentrate now or else I …

 _*Crick!*_

I failed to see the dry stick and it broke with a crumbling noise as I stepped on it. The worst possible thing happened. All the caribou raised their heads and sensed imminent danger. When the first began to run away, the rest was quick to follow.

"Damnit!" Garth yelled, "Go-go-go!"

The entire group jumped up and started chasing the fleeing herd. The wolves that the caribou had chosen to run towards, were forced to move aside to avoid getting trampled. Dazed as I was by the consequences of my fault, I was the last to join the pursuit. The attack was brief and fruitless. I had blown an hour of work by losing my focus for only a second. It was a mistake I had never made before, not even in alpha school. When the group gathered, Garth looked frustrated.

"Who messed up? Speak up!"

"I did, I'm sorry." I confessed.

He sighed and ordered the rest to leave us so he could speak to me in private.

"Listen Kate, I'm sorry but you're out of the group."

"What?!" I cried astounded.

"You're not focussed. You're thoughts are somewhere else. First you step on a branch and then you almost forget to help us in the chase."

"Look I'm sorry. Next time-.."

"No Kate. You're going back. Until you have sorted things out, you're not hunting anymore."

As he walked away I wanted to shout at him, blame him, but that would be utterly ridiculous. Deep down I knew he was right to shut me out. I would've done the same thing in his position. I was still upset about losing my dad and Humphrey and therefore unfit to hunt with them. If only there was a way to find out where Humphrey went.

On my way home I accidently came across my mom. She sat and stared at the place where Tony and my dad were buried. She had yet refused to leave his side. I sat down next to her, but it didn't break her stare.

"What are you doing here Kate?" she asked after a while.

"W-what?" I replied.

I hadn't expected her to talk at all, let alone ask a question.

"Why aren't you looking for Humphrey?"

"I did, but he isn't in Jasper anymore."

"Of course he isn't."

She stunned me with her reply. How did she know he left? As all mothers do, she read my mind and answered my question.

"You didn't think he'd stick around to watch you marry another, did you? He's crazy about you. Think about it, would you be able to bear it if he was gonna marry someone else?"

"I guess not… But if you knew he was gone, how did you want me to find him? Nobody knows where he went and..."

She laughed softly and shook her head.

"Oh Katie. You don't need anyone else to tell you where he went. If he truly is the love of your life, you'll always know where to find him… down here." she said and placed her paw on my chest.

"You really think so?"

She nodded and spread her paws. I leaned forward and she hugged me firmly. She had always been able to help me where others couldn't. My insecurity of finding Humphrey vanished entirely. In my heart I felt that there was only one way he could have left Jasper. I was stupid not to have thought of that sooner.

"Thanks mom."

 _End of chapter 5._


	6. The Hunt Begins

_**Hey everyone, I've found some internet today giving me the possibility to post this chapter. Please enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 6. The Hunt Begins**

 _-Humphrey-_

Abigail and I had continued to travel together. Since our argument each of us sensed we were able to trust the other, however we still didn't talk very much. Even though my solitude had lasted only a day and I had expected to need much more time alone, it felt good not to be alone anymore. Call it instinct, but something told me that Abigail thought the same way. During our conversations I learned that she originated from Flathead National Forest, situated south from where we were now, which turned out be Banff National Park. I also discovered that she used to be an alpha. She had explained that her hunting skills had made it easy for her to survive alone. When I had left Jasper I hadn't given thought to the matter of food at all. When I had told her this, she had laughed and had happily agreed to teach me the basics.

That promise was an hour ago. Now, all of a sudden, she maned me to stop.

"Listen, do you hear that?" she whispered.

I pricked up my ears but heard nothing. She told me to lay low and be quiet. I did as I was told and waited patiently as Abigail prowled into a group of shrubs. Amazingly, not seeing her made it impossible for me to locate her. She was clearly an expert in the art of stealth. Nw that I recall it, I believe alphas are trained to achieve said expertise. Her head popped out of the bushes and she winked me to follow her. I did my best not to make any noises, however I wasn't as good as she was and could not tail her without making at least a few sounds.

'Not bad' she complimented me nonverbally, although I was pretty sure I had failed miserably.

She gestured that there was an animal nearby. I listened closely and this time I managed to distinguish movement among the background noises. The creature stumbled its way closer to our position and I tried to breathe more softly as it approached our bush. Abigail had assured me she would give me a signal whenever I had to act so all I could do was bide my time.

As she lay next to me, waiting for the opportune moment, she reminded me of Kate. How often had I wished that I would be granted a moment like this with her. My lovesick brain pictured her adorable smile as I had last seen it, the night on the train. Her eyes had been like citrines that had reflected the moonlight with their eternal purity. If only I could see them one more time...

My daydreaming was rudely interrupted as Abigail poked me. I looked at her with a slight nuisance, but soon I remembered what it was that we were doing. I braced myself and glanced at her. She gave an almost unnoticeable nod and I leaped from the bushes. I saw a dark silhouette and realized that I was headed straight for it. The timing was perfect and I landed right on top of my victim before it had time to react.

"Aaaah! Please don't eat me!" it cried.

The French accented voice was shockingly familiar and I realized who it was that I had just ambushed.

"What the… Marcel?"

The goose opened his eyes, which he had shut in terror. He recognized me as well and heaved a sigh relief. I stepped off of his back so he could get up. He dusted himself off, walked over to his bag and gathered the clubs that had been spread out over the floor when I jumped him.

"A bit rude attacking me like that don't you think?" he complained.

"Well I-.."

"No, Humphrey. You gotta break his neck before getting off of him." Abigail lectured.

Marcel let out a cry of terror as she emerged from the undergrowth, but I gestured him to relax.

"Don't worry, she's with me. Marcel this is Abigail, Abigail this is-.."

"Lunch." she said and jumped on top of him.

I held her back just in time to stop her from killing my avian friend. I explained to her we had befriended in the past and although she looked at me in disbelief, she seized her attempt to tear him to shreds. Marcel got up and hid behind me.

"I know I said that we would see each other again, but don't you think this a bit soon?" I asked him with an ironic undertone.

I reckoned it was the first time since my adventure with Kate ended that I made humourous remark. Marcel's wary gaze at Abigail was broken by my question.

"What? Oh yes, yes." he muttered confused. "Well I'm sorry, but was looking for my ball.

"Doesn't Paddy normally keep track of your ball? Where is he by the way?"

"Normally he does yes. However, this morning he bet against me that I could never complete a single hole by myself. A challenge I was willing to take."

"And?"

"Well, if I can't find my ball he is going to win that wager." he replied dryly.

"We'll help you out."

"We do?" Abigail commented surprised.

I told her to wait while I gave my friend a hand. In contrast to her earlier recalcitrance, she did eventually help us out after watching our fruitless efforts to locate the damn rock. Once she eventually joined us, she secured the missing ball in no time by means to her sharp nose. Marcel thanked her, yet kept his distance while doing so. He made his shot, picked up his bag, said goodbye to me and left.

"So, you wanna try again or are you afraid we might hit more of your friends?" Abigail made fun of me once he was gone.

I laughed. Her joke was fair. It was kind of odd that a wolf and a goose had established any other relationship than predator-prey. I explained her he and Paddy had helped me get home. As the memories of the journey to and from Idaho lined up in my head, they gave me a heavy-hearted feeling as I remembered how the trip ended. My smile vanished and I was glad that she chose not address it any further.

"C'mon, we'll try to catch something else." she said.

 _-Kate-_

Garth and the other alphas had caught a big caribou and the whole pack had eaten generously from the large animal. Me and the other alphas would normally eat first, but since the marriage of Garth and my sister, the rights of ranking had been renounced, hence everyone ate at the same time. Strangely, nobody seemed to have issues with the new system where ranking now solely dictated your job in the pack rather than your social level. After finishing my meal and saying goodbye to my sister, I left the den and set out to find my Humphrey. At least, I hoped that I would still be allowed to call him that. The train track was only a ten minute walk from home or at least I thought it was. It was fairly possible that I had been running without knowing it. After all, I wanted to get on my way to find Humphrey as quickly as possible. I sat down near the train tracks and waited for it to arrive. I had no idea when that would be, but I was willing to sit here for hours in order to go after him.

As a couple of hours passed, my vigilant gaze dulled as I continued to think about all the joyful memories Humphrey and I had shared so far. I recollected the first time I encountered him since alpha school. He hadn't seen me for half a year back then and yet he had stood up for me when my hunt had failed. The more I thought of moments like those, the more I reckoned he had been there for me for almost my entire life. I had simply never looked well enough to see it. Now I knew that all that time he had cared for me and again I felt the burning guilt of turning him away the second we got home.

The rumbling noise of an incoming train brought me back to the present. I followed its trajectory and calculated the point where I had to intersect it. Luckily my alpha education had made me an expert at this and I started to run along the track.

"Here we go." I encouraged myself.

When I wanted to jump, an unexpected pang shot through my thigh and I collapsed. I winced as I slid at speed across the sandy floor, scraping my wound in the most painful manner possible. I felt warm blood dripping down my paw. I watched as the train drove on carrying my opportunity with it. I could of course wait for the next train, right? The thought was reassuring, but I had no intention to wait with finding Humphrey any longer.

I stood up and ignored the pain as best I could. I sprinted as fast as my injury allowed me to. This wasn't good enough. I managed to keep up with the tail of the train, yet failed to reach the last open wagon ten metres further. In my mind Humphrey slowly drove away from me. I wouldn't be able to reach it and as I tired, the distance began to lengthen. Suddenly I heard his voice in my head.

" _I love you Kate."_

Magicallyas its appearance was, its medicinal effect on my agonizing thigh was equally remarkable. I accelerated my sprint and closed in on my target. When I got next to the open wagon I thought of his words one last time. It gave me the last bit of energy I needed to supress my handicap long enough to make the jump. Once inside I panted for breath. Catching a ride was seldom this hard. I dropped myself on the planking and licked my wound. As I gazed at Jasper's landscape, I felt uneasy to leave my home behind, yet I was excited to find myself on route again. On route to my most important goal ever. I closed my eyes to rest from my exhaustive ordeal.

"I'm coming for you Humphrey." I whispered to myself.

 _End of chapter 6._


	7. Aftermath

_**Hey my friends, I'm back from my holiday in France. It has been a real blast out there, but of course, the more important thing for you is that I've got a brandnew chapter right here. Please enjoy.  
**_

 _ **Kind Regards,**_

* * *

 **Chapter 7. Aftermath**

 _-Humphrey-_

The rest of the afternoon Abigail had continued to teach me the fine art of stalking. Unfortunately my second and third attempt had been less successful and we were running out of daylight. Abigail suggested to give me a demonstration on how to catch a prey, but I knew she meant something entirely different.

"You mean, I'm getting hungry and if it's up to you it might take for ages." I remarked with a grin.

She looked embarrassed and as it turned out, she was indeed getting hungry. I admired her honesty.

"I hope you're not insulted?"

I laughed her apology away.

"Please, I'm starving too." I replied.

When we first met I thought her to be an arrogant and surly wolf, however the more time we spent, the more I came to know her as a shy and decent one.

With ease, efficiency and prominent grace she managed to take down a rabbit at the first try. It was small, but enough for the two of us. It made me feel like quite the rookie and I admitted that I had a lot to learn. She reassured me it would take time to master it all. She said it had taken her the necessary training as well, but I still envied her talent. It was nice spending time with her. She gave me something to eat and in exchange I gave her something to laugh.

As the sun was setting, the sky was already littered with stars. This came at a price though. It meant that it would be a very cold night. We had to find us some shelter. Luckily Abigail knew a cave nearby. We reached it right on time, because once we got there, there was not a trace left of the yellow orb that had been shining all day long. The moon was almost full tonight and I halted outside to look at its brilliance. Abigail came back out and sat down next to me. Together we gazed at the white rock in the sky.

"It's magnificent isn't it?" she asked.

I confirmed with a smile. I used the moment to observed her from the corner of my eye. She was far from ugly. Her fur appeared more redish and more clear than it did at day and her emerald eyes glistened in the lunar light. She scared me as she unexpectedly began to howl. The effect of the moon and her voice combined irresistibly led me to follow her example. Our howls filled the air. I felt her soft fur on my side as she leaned against me. At first it was nice and warm, but then it was as if my heart shriveled up. The image of my duet with Kate at the train shot through my mind and before I knew it I cried out in panic and stumbled away from her. I gasped for air as the memory slowly faded again. Clearly my subconscious wasn't willing to forget her just yet.

Abigail looked at me afraid, afraid to have driven me away.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"No-no it's my fault... I just... I just can't." I stuttered.

The image of me and Kate singing together had stung me like a dirk. I wasn't over her yet and because of that it felt wrong to howl with someone else. A migraine came up. I winced and placed a paw against my head. It wasn't fair. She had rejected me. Why did I still love her?

She reached out to me, but I rudely pushed her gentle gesture aside.

"Please… Just let me be for now..."

I went into the small cave to escape further questions. Inside it was remarkably warmer, but the comfortable raise in temperature wasn't enough to soothen my sore. I curled up, still suffering from the headache that had arisen. I heard Abigail lay down somewhere behind me. I knew I had hurt her and I regretted doing so, but I was not ready to relinquish my feelings for Kate. Thinking of her enchanting appearance, I wondered if I ever would be.

 _-Kate-_

A high pitched screech echoed over the tracks as the train hit the brakes. The wagon shook precariously and the vibrations that it sent over my body had me open my eyes. I inspected my thigh. The cut had stopped bleeding, however the painful feeling persisted. My head was still a little fuzzy because of my nap and I looked up to determine the time of day. The sky was orange and the sun had almost disappeared behind the mountains. It would be night soon. My nap had clearly been a long one.

We came to a complete halt and I moved to the side to see where we were. Immediately I duck back in. A man with a hunting rifle had stepped out of the engine and was headed my way. I had to get out quickly and I jumped out of the other side of train. To my horror, I miscalculated the amount of weight my afflicted leg could support and I almost collapsed during my landing. I realized that in boarding the train so arduously, I had worsened my injury. In front of me lay a small town. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The only way to go now was under the wagon.

I hid underneath and waited for the man, armed with flashlight and gun, to pass by.

"Hey Joe, long time no see."

A second man arrived from the town to greet the first. It was evident that the two humans knew each other. The engine driver, apparently named Joe, stood in front of me as he replied. I couldn't follow the details of their conversation, I was too tense for that. The trepidation had my heart throb in my head. Joe climbed in and out of the last few wagons, while comfortably conversing with his congener. It felt like it took him years to complete this task.

He decided that everything was fine and walked to his friend. He switched off his light and they started walking to the town. That was close. I heaved a sigh of relief.

Suddenly the two men stopped and I knew I had made a stupid, perhaps fatal mistake.

"Did you hear that?"

I watched with bated breath as Joe slowly walked back to my wagon. My eyes got bigger with each footstep closer to my hiding place. He stopped in front of the cart and inspected the cargo within. I cringed and squished myself in between the sleepers. My last shred of hope evaporated as he bend over. I saw his eyes only metre away from me, although the darkness ensured that he couldn't see me yet. As he raised his flashlight I knew he was going to find me. I also knew that when he did, I wouldn't be able to get out of range of his rifle in time, not in my deteriorated state.

Automatically my thoughts went to Humphrey. I would never be able to tell him how I really felt about him, that I loved him back, that I would rather die than live without him. Instead he would continue to believe that I never cared and bear the emotional scar I gave him for the rest of his life. He didn't deserve the pain I had put him through. Still, the most terrible thing of dying here was that I would never see him again. A tear rolled down my face, leaving a warm trail on my cheek. If only I could see him on last time...

"What're you doing Joe? You think a grizzly's hangin' underneath your train now? C'mon let's get inside 'n grab a beer."

As it turned out, fate had provided me with a chance to redeem myself with Humphrey. A fraction of a second before the engine driver was going to light his torch, the other man called him off, unintentionally saving my life. I watched astonished as Joe lowered the flashlight, stood up and walked back to his buddy. Subsequently, they went inside one of the houses. This time I was smart enough to sigh once they were out of hearing distance.

I shivered. This was far too close in my opinion. I had been more than lucky here. I crawled out of my shelter and headed into the forest. It would definitely be safer to spent the night somewhere else than here.

 _-Humphrey-_

Despite the sorrow with which I had gone to sleep, I had had a fairly steady night's rest. As I recollected the events, it was not Kate that made me feel troubled, but the way I left Abigail. I had to apologize to her for acting so bearish towards her. She had never had any bad intentions and probably felt rejected due to my hurtful behaviour.

When I turned around I noticed she was not in the cave anymore. I went outside and took in the details of my environment. I remembered how we got her and where we had briefly howled together, but there was no Abigail here either.

"Abigail?!" I called out.

There was no reply. I was alone. I bit my lip as I realized that I had not just hurt, but completely scared off my new friend. I tasted blood and I found myself biting so hard that my lip began to bleed.

"Hey, you're up."

The abrupt voice spooked me and I automatically growled at its source. Abigail stood behind me and raised an eyebrow to underscore the oddity of my reaction.

"Easy, it's only me. Look, I brought breakfast." she said, putting down a fat rabbit.

"Abigail! I thought you were gone!" I cried out relieved.

She blushed.

"I'm glad you missed me." she said.

Although that wasn't entirely the truth, I saw no harm in letting her believe it if only to comfort her a little. I did had something to make up after all. As we ate together, she carefully brought up yesterday's unfortunate turn of events.

"I'm sorry for last night. I was just-.."

"Don't be." I replied. "It is I who should apologize."

"Why did you react like that, if I may ask?"

I hesitated. Should I tell her? Maybe it would be a relief to talk about my heartache with someone. She caught notion of my pondering.

"If you don't want to, I'm not forcing you." she added quickly.

I laughed. She really was more decent than she had made me believe at first sight.

"It's okay. Perhaps it is good for me to talk about it."

Abigail listened with interest as I broadly narrated my adventure with Kate. I also elaborated on the role Marcel and Paddy had had in this undertaking. She sympathized with me, especially when I reached the conclusion of my tale.

"Wow, she ditched you like that?"

Having said it, she became aware of the bluntness of her way of stating it, but I reassured her that it didn't matter. She was right, no matter how you put it, Kate had dumped me in quite unmannerly fashion. Strangely, it hadn't made me love her any less, but I chose not to share this last detail with Abigail.

"Anyway, that memory made me scared last night. You were never to blame."

She smiled compassionately and shook her head.

"Don't be sorry. I would probably act the same way in your shoes."

Although I had planned not to address the matter anymore, my curiosity got the better of me again.

"Abigail?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't mean to be obtrusive, but what happened to you exactly before you left your home? When I asked before I noticed that I upset you by asking and I have no intention to do that again, but I'm very curious to know."

She gave me a brief smile, then looked at me tentatively. Her green eyes were quite pretty. It was clear she didn't like recollecting those events and for a moment I thought she was going to ask me to mind my own business. She sighed instead.

"Okay then."

 _End of chapter 7. _


	8. Past Tense

_**I'm happy to see most of you commenting again. A lot of thanks guys!  
**_

* * *

 **Chapter 8. Past Tense**

 _-Kate-_

I woke up early as I always did. I had slept under a tree stump that was buried halfway into the dirt. When I began my search for a suitable spot I had initially walked past it. It didn't provide enough cover and the clear sky had been a messenger for a bitter cold night. However, the lack of anything better had eventually forced me to it. Also its scent had been familiar to me, as if Humphrey had been here too. That was impossible though. He would have travelled further than here. Apparently I missed him enough to hallucinate.

When I stood up, I remembered why I had rejected this place at first. The low temperature had frozen my limbs and the scratch was all stiff and painful. I shuddered my fur, not to get dry, but to get warm. It worked enough for me to start moving, but that was also the maximum of its effectivity.

I had to get back on the train before it left again. Luckily it wasn't very far and when I got there I witnessed the driver fire up the engine. I hopped into the wagon carefully, trying not to lean too much on my hind leg. I didn't want to overburden it a second time. That reminded me to keep in mind not to miss the next stop. Things might end bad if I did and I had no intention of repeating last night's turn of events.

I wondered how Humphrey had dodged this literal and proverbial bullet. What if he was caught and killed? The thought made me feel colder and I shivered. No. I shook off the idea of his death. No way that he was killed here. As my mom told me before, I would know.

"He's out there" I comforted myself, "and I'm gonna find him."

Suddenly my keen eyesight caught movement just over two hundred meters away. It was a faint glance, but enough to recognize it as a familiar shape. As the train began to ride, my gaze on this patch of forest remained unmoveable. There it was again! This time I had had a good view of what it was and I recognized the shape immediately.

"What is he doing out here?" I mumbled.

I walked back and forth in the for as yet slow moving trainwagon. I was certain about whom I had seen and he could be of great help to me. However, if I was going to address him, I had to get out and that meant that I had been through all my trouble for nothing. Or hadn't I? My mind told me to stay on the train, yet lately I was more reliant on my gut. Sadly it was unusually quiet now. I had always praised myself for my reasonable thinking and more than once had it saved my life. On the other hand, it had been my inner feelings that had persuaded me to abort my marriage and go on a quest to find Humphrey. Not to mention that those same feelings had sent me in this direction in the first place.

As I contemplated the two choices, my transport accelerated every second. Time to think was running out. Our entwined love could work like a magnet my mom had said. I prayed that she was right. I closed my eyes and pictured Humphrey, hoping that my heart could act as a compass.

"C'mon Humphrey. Help me out here."

His face appeared and he winked at me, just as he had done to stop my wedding. It was inspiring, yet unhelpful. Maybe I should follow my head then?

Just then the track made an abrupt turn and the tremor of the sudden change in direction caused me to lean on my afflicted limb. The resulting pain made me collapse and I fell backwards out of the wagon. Luckily a thick bush broke my fall and I landed relatively softly.

I stared in astonishment as the train drove away from me.

"I was hoping for a more subtle hint." I let out ironically.

I was amused by what had just occurred. I had asked fate what decision to make and it had made it for me. I wondered if my mom had known that stuff like this would happen. I rose to my feet carefully and plucked the leaves out of my hair. Right, now all I had to do was...

"Well look at what we find here!"

As if fate hadn't helped me enough yet, the person I was after showed up almost instantly.

"Marcel! Am I glad to see you!" I replied.

 _-Humphrey-_

Once we had eaten our breakfast we left the cave and headed further east. It was late in the morning, but there was no need to rush anything. As we travelled, Abigail told me her story. I listened intrigued as she started from scratch.

 _In Flathead National Park there were three wolf packs. One of those was very big, the southern pack, the other two were smaller. I was part of the northern smaller group. Luckily, for a long time size didn't matter as there was enough territory and food for everyone. Sometimes fights did break out, however no real incidents ever occurred and mostly all clans lived harmoniously. My parents occupied a high rank and my mom was famous for her efficiency in taking out Moose calves. Sadly, this overall prosperity led to the growth of all the packs and thus a higher need for territory…_

I nodded. What she said made perfect sense. My own pack had had similar experiences. This clash between Jasper's western and eastern pack lasted for quite some time until it was eventually concluded by the marriage of Kate and Barth. The thought made me feel sad again, but as Abigail proceeded, I had little time to give it much attention.

… _One day the large southern pack attacked the western and drove them away, claiming their grounds for their own. Consequently, the wolves of the western pack came over to our lands. Because none of us preferred a battle we decided to merge in order to be strong enough to repel the southern clan should they come back for more. This merging brought Heather into my life…_

From the bitter and depreciating tone in which the name was spoken I could deduce that Abigail had taken a serious disliking to this particular wolf. It wasn't long until I found out why.

… _Heather was a widowed female that showed interest into my dad the moment she had laid eyes on him. A bit too much if you ask me. She and my mom were put on the hunting group together and for a while that seemed to work out fine. It was only after a week that my mom tragically died in a hunting accident…_

The way she said 'accident' had me convinced that she had serious doubts concerning the truth of that statement. I saw that the recollection of her mother's untimely death brought back all the sorrow and she stopped walking. I placed my paw on her shoulder and smiled as she looked at me sadly.

"You don't have to go on if you don't want to." I said compassionately.

I knew what she went through. It was hard for me to talk about Kate as well. She shook her head.

"No, it's okay."

I gave her the warmest smile I could muster as she dried her eyes.

… _It wasn't long after that Heather married my dad. As you can understand, it strengthened my suspicions that she was responsible for my mom's accident. When I told my dad about this, it was already too late. He was so infatuated by that witch that he believed her over his own daughter. And as if that wasn't bad enough, I didn't know at the time that my stepsister had been eavesdropping. She told everything to Heather and…_

She caught my confused look and understood that she hadn't mentioned this stepsister before.

"Yes, sorry. When Heather married my dad, she brought along her daughter Miranda into my family." Abigail elaborated. "That little monster was as sadistic as she was treacherous."

I couldn't help but chuckle when she got worked up by thinking back of her stepsister. I could identify me completely with her, only I had Barth.

"What's so funny?" she asked insulted.

"Nothing. You just remind me of myself."

She took a moment to let my remark sink in, yet didn't seem to know how to reply. Eventually she just nodded and proceeded her narrating.

 _... Anyways. Heather and Miranda decided to that I had to go and they conspired against me. At night, they secretly made a kill and placed it behind our cave. When Miranda accused me the next morning of breaking pack-law by not sharing a kill, I had no idea Heather had put it there. The alphas searched our cave and retrieved the dead animal from my stuff. Furious as I was by the false accusation, I attacked Miranda in front of everybody. When they pulled me off of her I turned to my dad. I begged him to believe me, that he knew I would never do something like that, but Heather's grip on him was stronger than his love for me. He left the scene without saying a word and I was left alone. It resulted in my banishment from the pack and I never saw my home or my father again..._

We halted at a clearing in the forest.

"So, I think that pretty much sums it up."

She kicked away a pebble and sat down. I felt really sorry for her. She was framed and had never had a chance to prove her innocence. Although she had managed to conclude her history without wincing, I sensed that she had difficulties to stay strong. I wasn't surprised that when I sat down next to her and placed my paw around her that the tears came down her furry cheeks. I put my other paw around her as well and patted her back as she cried softly on my chest.

"Don't worry. I'm here." I spoke.

She released herself from my embrace and looked at my with her wet but gorgeous eyes. I was glad to have found someone that could comprehend the pain of my sorrow and I was confident that she felt the same way. We both had an experience few others could relate to. Betrayed by the ones we held dearest, we had become outcasts of society, traveling alone, carrying with us nothing but our hurtful pasts.

As we gazed at each other, we both slowly leaned forward. I came to realize that in sharing our grief we had not just found comfort, but also a kind of attraction. I knew what was going to happen. As the distance between our noses shrunk, the pain from the emotional scar Kate left on me stung more intensely. Her memory was embedded deep within my soul, where its roots stretched through my entire life. I reckoned that it would trouble me for a long time still if not forever, but when Abigail kissed me, all that heartache ebbed away for a moment. For the first time since my departure, Kate seemed to be in the past. For the first time, I felt a little happiness again.

 _End of chapter 8._


	9. A New Path

_**I'm not entirely sure whether it's the case, but personally I got the feeling that my quality is slipping in the last two chapters. I'm not saying that I think it's crappy, just not as good as the previous ones. That said, I'm working on chapter ten now and I'm already confident that it'll be one to match it again. For now, here's the ninth part.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 9. A New Path**

 _-Kate-_

"What a happy coincidence that I run into you guys here." I said.

Marcel hugged me. Paddy only gave me a nod, although he had previously indicated that in his opinion this was an equally sufficient gesture of friendship. I noticed that not he but Marcel carried the bag of clubs this time. I didn't find it interesting enough to talk about at the moment, yet I chose not to be selfish and pointed at the thing to avoid asking for their help straight away.

"What's up with that?"

"Funny you should ask that." the duck started, "You see I have made a bet with him that-.."

"Paddy please." Marcel interrupted him, "He made a bet with me that I can't finish a single hole by myself."

"But he's about to-.."

"I'm about to win at the moment." The goose broke in a second time.

"Okay…" I said, not fully understanding the meaning of their quarrel.

I followed them to the edge of the forest where I recognized the pebble with which they had played their game before. It was close to a hole in the ground in the middle of a field of grass, marked by a small red flag on a pole. My impatience to ask them about Humphrey itched. Unwillingly and probably unnecessarily I scratched myself behind my ear because of it. I watched Marcel step into position to make his shot. Once he made his gentle swing and ended his 'run', I was a second too late with posing the matter I was so eager to address.

"So what brings you out here? We haven't seen you since before your wedding."

I looked at him a little uneasy. He used the word wedding as if it had gone as planned. Of course, he was not to blame for doing so because he had no idea of the events that had took place instead. If he had than he would've known better than to still call it a wedding. The major clash between the two packs that had unfolded after my refusal to marry Garth had eventually led to the deaths of both Tony and my dad. Recollection of the tragedy neutralized the happiness my anticipation of their help had generated.

My friends took notion of my saddening mood and before they could ask, I explained to them what had happened since. Luckily I managed to supress the woe and finish my summary without tears. They condoled me with my loss, an act I believe always to be done out of decency rather than truly expecting any effect.

"See, that's why I'm here." I concluded, "I'm trying to find my Humphrey so I can tell him I'm sorry and hopefully make things right between us."

They stared at me in amusement.

"What?"

"Nothing…" Paddy sniggered.

"Do not worry, we help you find... yourHumphrey." Marcel smiled mollified.

I realized that I had unintentionally said _my_ Humphrey. I felt a little embarrassed as they both grinned at my slip of the tongue. My cheeks began to glow, yet that was probably because I thought of Humphrey's cute face rather than out of shame. I missed his loveable smile, his funny attitude, his... well everything. It had me remember why I had come to find the two birds in the first place.

"You guys don't happen to know where he went?"

"Sure, he asked us what train to take..."

A fear grasped my heart. I hadn't thought of the fact that there were multiple different trains. What if he had taken a completely different route than I had?

"... But you already knew that since you went this way." he continued.

"Hehe, yea." I laughed a little nervously.

Traveling this way had merely been a random act. Well, not completely random of course. My mom had said to follow my heart in order to find him and I had. It had spurred me into catching this particular train. It was kind of funny how it unknowingly had put me on the right track. Still, I wasn't there yet. It would probably be a long way before I could staunch my bleeding heart with Humphrey's physiognomy.

"And after that?" I asked.

The duck shook his head apologetically.

"I'm sorry. We haven't seen him since."

"Ow..." I let out disappointed.

I had had the hope that maybe they knew where he planned to get off or that perhaps he had shared a destination with them. Paddy assured me that they would do anything to help me locate him. I was glad, yet a little defeated. Finding my lost love was going to be harder than I thought.

"Actually, that's not entirely true."

We both looked at Marcel who had suddenly spoken up. He hesitated whether or not to continue, but fortunately for me chose to do so after already having made this first step.

"I-eh… I've seen him yesterday."

My hope had been reignited. I kept myself from burying him with questions and limited to solely demanding where that was. My heart jumped for joy when Marcel told me it wasn't far from here. Then it struck me. The reason last night's spot smelled like Humphrey was because he had been there too! He did get off the train here and he hadn't gone far either. Meanwhile my friends had begun to argue when Marcel shed light on the circumstances under which he had ran into him.

"So you cheated? You let him help you?"

"This is not cheating. I could have found it myself. I just saved time."

"You had help, so you lost."

I had no idea what the fight was about. I felt re-energized and decided I could best proceed on my own. All I had to do now is pick up Humphrey's trail, starting from the tree stump.

"Thanks guys!" I said before sprinting away.

"Wait! I have to warn you about..."

I had no clue as to what he wanted to tell me, but I chose not to give it much thought. I had no interest in anything else right now than tracking Humphrey. I felt closer than ever and I didn't want to wait any longer in being with him.

 _-Humphrey-_

After our short but meaningful moment in the field, we had continued our journey in silence. Our kiss had lightened my heavy heart and had me feel less lonely than before. Both were pleasant consequences, however I couldn't really say that I was now deeply in love with her. I believed that she on the other hand felt more attracted to me than before. Each time Abigail's eyes crossed my own, she blushed and looked away. Perhaps in time I would come to like her as much as she liked me. Maybe I could even love her as much as I loved Kate.

Unintentionally I wondered what she was doing. Would she even know I left? No, she had to, we had been friends for so long, hadn't we? Suddenly I yearned for Jasper. I missed the childhood I spent there. That improvident time with Kate seemed ages ago. Still, our lifelong friendship hadn't stopped her from disposing me so rudely after I brought her home so why would it have her notice my absence? Besides, she would be too busy with that Barth-guy. I tried to be angry with her. Hate her for rejecting me. I failed. The thought of her only depressed me.

Our planning for today was to practise my hunting some more, although Abigail seemed to have forgotten all about it and honestly, I didn't feel like it. Though my heartache had truly been relieved by the soft touch of her nose against mine, I had still a sadness within me. My feelings for Kate were ever present and whenever I had nothing to do, my mind drifted away in our times together. It was not that I didn't know that I would need more than a day or two to forget her, I had known her my entire life after all. I had just hoped that being with Abigail would have a greater impact. Currently my interest in Abigail was battling my love for Kate and truthfully, the former wasn't winning. That didn't mean however that I would simply abandon her and go back to my sobbing. But the mixed feelings did make me languid and indolent.

I glanced at Abigail. Even though I liked her, she was not Kate. I winced and forced myself to expel that thought. It was unfair towards Abigail to compare her to Kate. Moreover, Kate was in the past now. There was no future back in Jasper, I had to stop thinking as if there was.

I was so caught up in my mind that I failed to see Abigail flying towards me and got forcefully pushed aside as she tackled me at speed.

"This is becoming a habit, isn't it?" I said ironically as she now lay on top of me.

She laughed.

"Sorry, but you were about to walk into that trap."

I got up and followed her paw. A meter away from us a metallic wire was strung between the bushes. If she hadn't pointed it out I would never have seen it as the thin wire was hardly visible among the grass. My instincts were programmed to give it a wide berth, but I was nonetheless a little curious.

"What does it do?"

She shrugged.

"Something bad no doubt. I've seen more of those things around here and humans usually don't have the best intentions with us."

"Tell me about it." I confirmed, remembering the hunter that once tried to shoot me.

Glad that she was around to save me, I wondered what would've happened had I been here alone. My lone wolf experience would probably have been a short one. I rubbed my sore shoulder, she really packed a punch when she had to. Maybe even a bigger one than I ever could.

"Couldn't you simply have warned me?"

She frowned.

"I did, but you didn't listen."

"You did?" I asked surprised.

She nodded and I apologized for not having responded to her earlier.

"No need. I like jumping you now and then." she said dryly.

Now it was my turn to laugh. She had a similar sense of humour as I did, a feature I could appreciate.

"Talking about jumping, weren't we supposed to practise your hunting skills?"

The foresight of prowling through the undergrowth with maximum focus was a little tedious, not to mention that the mixed feelings didn't really leave in top shape. Of course, it would be good to get my mind of things and maybe the endeavour would be good for me. I've spent too much time thinking and not enough time exercising lately.

"Where do we start?"

"How about right here?"

"In between all those traps? Are you serious?"

She chuckled.

"It'll be fun. Besides I get to jump you more often."

I wasn't sure whether to be grateful or scared by that last remark.

 _-Kate-_

Retracing my footsteps, I quickly found the stump where I and Humphrey before me, had spent the night. Knowing what I was looking for helped me to quickly pick up his scent. With my sharp nose I pinpointed the direction in which he had gone. Luckily, he had no fear of being followed and had made no effort to disguise or cover his trail. This made it quite easy for me to stay onto him thus I travelled as fast as I could. He had continued along the course of the train, probably because it was an easy guide for him. I wondered where he had planned to go first.

The more I thought of him, the more I missed him. How long would it take me to catch up with him? Insensibly I hastened my pace till I was nearly running. As I was out here alone, my feeling of solitude was amplified. The vast emptyness around me was something that had never bothered me before, yet that was before Humphrey vanished from my life. I closed my eyes. I couldn't wait to see him again. Tell him how much he meant to me. Tell him how much I loved him. I smiled. We could howl together as we had done before.

"Ow!"

I tripped over a rock and almost fell. It was dangerous to go this fast with my head in the clouds. Suddenly I noted that I had lost his track. Frantically I walked around to relocate it. A few metres back I caught the scent again. He had changed his path and had moved away from the train tracks. Why would he have done that? I looked around, but saw no change in landscape or any other trigger as to why he had altered his course. I laughed unintentionally. This was just like him. Most of his actions were very unexpected, but that randomness made them funny. Made him funny.

After a while his path crossed a small creek. So he had gone for water. That made sense, he would probably be thirsty, as I was right now. As I drank from the creek my nose identified a second scent. Curiously, the two scent trails went on traveling together. Seemingly Humphrey had made a friend along the way. I wasn't surprised, after all he was always kind to everyone. He had always been kind. And how had I repaid it? With a knife in his back. How could I ever have been so mean to him.

At first I was relieved. A combined trail would be much easier to track down. Not that I had had any trouble thus far. But then something felt off. The other smell was somehow familiar and my gut didn't like it. I sniffed better, trying to get a better picture of Humphrey's companion. Suddenly a jolt tremoured over my body.

"Oh no..." I let out in a fright.

It wasn't just any animal that he had befriended. It was the scent of another wolf, and not just any other wolf... My stomach cramped as the thought crossed my mind that maybe it would not be so easy to convince him to come back after all. The scent that alerted my nostrils was that of another female wolf.

 _End of chapter 9_


	10. Double Fracture

_**Here we are. This chapter contains one of the scenes I had in my head the moment I started this fanfic. Personally I'm proud of the result, I hope you agree with me on that. Read on!  
**_

* * *

 **Chapter 10. Double Fracture**

 _-Humphrey-_

Every now and then, the silence during stalking caused me to think of Kate. I couldn't help it. Whenever a quiet moment passed by, my subconscious forced the images of our time together back into my brain. Especially the moments where she had expressed a certain liking towards me had the annoying tendency to pop up again and again. For example when she had said that I had been fun or when she had called me cute.

Not that any of those remarks had been real, it had all been deception hadn't it? A trick to help her get home. Still my broken heart didn't care. I guess that in its fractured state it was desperate to cling on to what little love it could get a grip on. Hence her voice kept echoing through my head. I tried to fend it off by picturing my kiss with Abigail, however it gave me not as much comfort as I wanted it too and therefore had little effect on the messages that were repeatedly broadcasted in my brain. I wondered how to get rid of them.

Anyways. What it boiled down to was that this form of unwanted mental distraction caused me to fail at hunting over and over. I lost my focus and made a foolish mistake. Subsequently I got an admonishment from Abigail to which in reply I laid the blame at my own stupidity. I could see in her eyes that she didn't believe it, yet she never asked any further.

Now that I blew it for the third time, she had had enough of it.

"Alright, if you really are as much of a rookie as you say you are, then it's best that we go back to the basics." she said with clear irritation in her voice.

Although my intention was never to get her worked up like that nor to make myself look like an idiot, I was pleased with what it resulted into. Abigail began teaching me some important tricks to ameliorate my technique. She pointed out that avoiding certain objects is critical in maintaining a stealthy approach. It was so basic that even I knew this, yet I had played dumb so I had to suffer the consequences of doing so. I didn't even mind that she treated me like a child. In her, so to say reprimanding mood, she was quite a good teacher and her sarcastic comments were quite funny now and then. She even gave me a mnemonic to remember all the things I had to look out for.

Another thing she said was that I had to stay even lower than I already did. That way I would be more capable to see the aforementioned objects of attention. Also, I would be harder to see for my prey. These tips really helped me get better and it gave me something to think about when in the act.

"Also, remember that we will both starve if you don't catch anything."

The idea of being responsible for Abigail gave me an unknown, but powerful focus and consequently my next attempt to take down a fawn went flawless. She walked over to assess my kill with an open mouth and was truly surprised by the abrupt success.

"Nicely done." she said ultimately.

"Please, the lady gets first bite."

The words had left my mouth before I realized it. She chuckled and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"How very kind of you milord." she said.

It made me feel happy and wanted, both of which I hadn't felt in a long time. I could really get along with her and I liked her, but as I thought of it, I only did as a friend. Deep down, the little fire within my heart was still fuelled solely by the memory of Kate's infinite beauty. I wondered, no I hoped, that one day it would burn the same for Abigail.

Suddenly she stopped eating and raised her head. When I wanted to ask what was wrong, she slapped her paw in front of my mouth with such speed that she actually hurt my jaw.

"Sssh. Stay here and stay quiet." she whispered.

She snuck into the bushes with her gaze to the right of her. Apparently she planned to circle whomever she had heard. I listened as closely as I could, however I heard nothing. It was probably something small.

I yawned, accidently making a grunting sound. I held my breath. Being alone now, my instincts sharpened and the feeling jumped me that something was off. It was too quiet. Maybe Abigail was right and something or someone was nearby? I pricked up my ears. Still nothing. Did I just hear a noise or was it just me? Maybe Abigail had infected me with some kind of paranoia. She had acted similar when we first met.

A shadow was cast over me and something big smashed itself onto me.

"Awww" I moaned.

Whatever got me down was wolf-sized… Abigail. I know she had said she liked jumping me, but it did hurt when she did. As I recollected, this was the third time I was jumped in a few days' time now. I also found it a little vile that she had acted as if something was near just to get on my back. She hadn't even held back a little bit. She had used her full force and for a moment I pitied all prey that she had ever taken down in her life.

"My back isn't capable of sustaining all this Abigail. I think it's broken." I exaggerated.

"Humphrey?"

The voice pierced my chest and reignited all the searing memories that I had been trying to put out for the last few days. It couldn't be. I looked up in amazement. Happiness, sadness, fear, anger, all of those rushed through me in the few seconds our eyes caught each other. The two glistening citrines that had haunted me ever since my days as lone wolf had begun. I had both hoped never to see them again as well as dreamed of them every night. Now here they are, staring down on me with their eternal beauty, once more stirring the butterflies in my stomach into action. But apart from that they also gave me a feeling of disappointment and hurt.

"K-Kate?" I stuttered.

 _-Kate-_

His sky-blue eyes watched me with pure surprise. I guess he had never expected to see me again. I had to admit that I hadn't foreseen our encounter this soon either. For a few seconds I was caught in the shimmering sapphires that brightened his cute, fluffy face. Then I realized I was still standing on top of him.

I hurried myself off of him.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I heard a noise and I-.."

"Jumped me, yea I noticed." he interrupted me dryly.

I stared at him while he stretched himself out. His white, grey and black fur was ruffled, but therefore no less handsome. It wasn't exactly how I had imagined our reunion. In my version it had been more romantic and we were both happy beyond measure to be together. Instead he even seemed annoyed to see me. I postponed my urge to hug him and waited for him to make the first move instead. Once more his crystal-clear eyes took me in, as if to make sure I was really here, but they didn't exert happiness in finding it to be true, they showed mistrust.

"What on earth are you doing here?" he asked unfriendly.

I was caught off guard by his high degree of hostility. What had happened to him? Had my rejection broken our bond beyond repair? I had never accounted for the possibility of him being angry, something which I should have. After all I had severely hurt him by choosing Garth.

"Humphrey, I...I eh..."

"Well?" he repeated impatiently.

His hateful glare really scared me. I had never seen him look at me like that. It made me feel more guilty and an unnerving feeling crawled up from my gut into my chest. I silently prayed that in my stupidity I had not wasted his love for me.

"I came to look for you…" I managed to bring out.

He raised an eyebrow and the suspicion in his eyes changed to anger.

"Why? To make sure I was really gone? Don't worry Kate, I didn't plan to come back to Jasper."

"No-no-no, that's not why I'm here. I…" I blushed, this was harder than I thought. I took a deep breath." I came back because-.."

Before I could give him my heart, I was tackled from behind. The impact had me slide a metre or two across the grass. My thigh ached as it was exactly there where I got hit.

"You didn't had to charge her like that." I heard him say.

"How was I supposed to know that?" a female voice said.

I forced myself to stand up. I had to see who it was that was after my Humphrey and who had attacked me. In my head I wondered why I put the assault second in row, yet I quickly knew that I cared more for Humphrey than for myself. Although the agonizing pain kept me from walking over to them, I turned around to watch the unknown girl from a distance. In silence, I enjoyed their arguing. I reckoned that a jealousy was already growing within me.

"Because I was talking to her!" he said loudly.

"Well excuse me, but I haven't had the luxury to simply talk to anything that moved!" she retorted.

He sighed and she gave me a wary look. I returned her the favour. Whoever she was, she was competition to me. It felt primitive to call her that, but it was simply the way things were. There was no other reason for her to stick with Humphrey other than to seduce him and that meant, she was a threat to me. I had no clue who she was or where she came from, but I already hated her guts.

In my anger I said the worst thing possible when he walked over to me.

"Who's she? Your girlfriend?"

I got frightened by the incredibly depreciating undertone in my own speech. I didn't even know I could sound like that. The mad look in his eyes had me regret it immediately. Then, my nightmare was complete.

"Yes. Yes she is."

Stunned and defeated by his proclamation of their relationship, her remark was the last thing I wanted to hear.

"Yea, so stay away from my guy." she snapped.

I lost it.

She did not only steal my Humphrey, she also rubbed my face in it! There was not a chance in the world she was going to take my one true love away.

The searing of my wound became insensible and I made a viciously strong pounce onto my enemy. My attack was so swift that I was onto her before I even realized it myself. I tried to bite her, though she managed to keep me away. I wanted to hurt her! Maim her! Kill her! Never before had I felt such rage in my entire life.

 _*Bump*_

I got knocked aside.

Frantically I searched for the source of the push, with my eyes eventually landing on Humphrey. He stood next to my adversary and stared at me more hatefully than before. All my fury shrunk into nothing and I felt small. I had done the stupidest thing I could do. I had been so led by my feelings lately, that I had forgotten to turn them off when I had to. The punitive expression on his face made me shed a tear. I had blown it. Again.

"Kate, I want you to go." he said, "Go and never come back."

Without granting me another look he walked away, gesturing his girlfriend to follow him. I wanted to follow him, yet I had no energy left to use my disabled limb. As I lay on the ground, I begged him to let me explain myself.

"Humphrey please. I-.."

"Go!" he yelled. "Leave!"

"I love you..." I spoke softly.

It was too little, too late. He had already vanished in the underbrush. Now I knew how it must have felt to him when I chose Garth. I had no more chance for redemption. Humphrey and I would never be together anymore. A cold and bitter sorrow filled me from head to toe and my chest shook precariously as I my sniffing became heavier. I started to cry. It was all I could do, all I wanted to do.

Through my tears I saw the female wolf look back at me, the hopeless pile of misery. It almost seemed as if she looked at me with guilt. I knew better than to trust my blurry vision. She had it exactly the way she wanted.

Humphrey had chosen her, not me.

 _End of chapter 10._


	11. Alone Again

_**Well, it pretty much speaks for itself: eleven.  
**_

* * *

 **Chapter 11. Alone Again**

 _-Humphrey-_

I was beyond reasoning. As I ran, the anger that flowed through my veins stimulated me to go as fast as I could. Honestly I had expected to feel anything but this when I would ever see Kate again, however it had been all that had dominated my mind during my conversation with her. I had just been so mad at her for leaving me. After our times together she had dropped me like a hot brick.

"DAMN IT!" I shouted.

Had I ever been this angry in my life? I figured not, I would've remembered. Then again, was it truly anger that I experienced right now? It had to be, I hated her for coming back to torment me a little more didn't I? I had shouted at her, lied to her, even attacked her. All out of anger.

I had tried so hard to forget about her, about the marriage, Barth, Jasper, everything. And on the very day that I made my first step towards a new life with a new friend, she showed up again. Hate, that is what it was! All that it could be! She had even attacked Abigail! And for what reason? What interest was she to Kate? Why did Kate want her gone? No, I hated her now that was certain.

I felt warm tears slip down my cheeks and my sprinting turned to walking.

Who was I kidding? From the moment I had seen her again I had not been angry with her, but with myself. Angry for letting her slip away. Letting her leave me. I should have stood up at the wedding. I should have faced Winston like a man and asked for her paw in marriage. I would've probably been killed on the spot by her mother, although that wouldn't have mattered. At least I would've died for a good reason: Kate. Instead I had ran away. Left when everything had become difficult. Looked away when I was about to lose the thing that mattered most to me. I had fled like a bloody coward. Kate had done well not to choose a coward as her mate.

In the corner of my eye, I recognized the cave where me and Abigail had spent the night. Apparently we had never ventured far from it. I altered my course and headed straight for it.

I recollected having told her that me and Abigail were a couple, however I had only done so to make a point. I wanted her to know that I could perfectly well survive on my own. That I was utterly happy with Abigail. That I had no need for Jasper and, more importantly, that I had no need for her in my life! Yet none of it was true. I couldn't survive on my own. It was Abigail who had taught me to and before that sustained me. Also I wasn't entirely satisfied with my relationship with Abigail, nor had I had the feeling that we were going to be mates. I also missed Jasper. I missed my friends, my cave, my pack. Out here everything was so unfamiliar, so foreign. I was clearly no person to stray far from home. But the biggest lie of them all, was that I could live without _her_. Because in truth, my entire existence was a hollow one if Kate wasn't there to fill it with love.

I stopped and sat down in the grass opposite it. A grey cloud slipped in front of the sun and the figurative shadow that had fallen over me became literal. Kate had been my everything. From the moment I had first seen her as a pup I had known that my life would never be the same again. I could never move on without her. I had been a fool to pretend otherwise. A fool to come out here. What other goal could I possibly find anywhere in the world that would ever be as important as to let Kate smile at me one more time? Her radiant laughter had been the only true important mission to me.

"Humphrey!"

Abigail showed up behind me. I didn't turn to look at her. Not because I wanted to hide my emotions, but simply because I didn't feel like talking. Besides, she had probably already seen me cry, she was too sharp not to notice.

"Why did you run away?" she asked.

"Because I didn't want to see her anymore…"

"Then… why are you crying?"

She was right. Why was I crying? Was it not because I yearned for Kate? Her scent, her voice, her appearance? Her precious chestnut eyes? I wanted her in my life again. Unfortunately that was no longer possible. She belonged to someone else now and because of that, my life had lost its value. I had lost my value. I had lost myself.

"Humphrey?"

"Who cares! She's gone!" I sparked.

"Because you sent her away. Have you even asked her why she came to find you?" Abigail reasoned.

I grunted. I had no interest in reason, nor had I any interest in talking. Why wouldn't she just leave me be!

"She came back because she cares for you Humphrey!"

"Well I don't care about her anymore!" I yelled.

"That's not true… and we both know it." she added sadly.

I turned to her and realized that in exposing my emotions for Kate, I had unintentionally stepped on her heart. The fact that we would probably never be mates had been something I had hoping to overrule someday, but clearly she had sensed it as well. I felt the obligation to apologize to her or tell her otherwise, though I wasn't capable to do so. If I did, it would be apocryphal and Abigail deserved better than merely my pity.

"She doesn't care for me. She never has."

"But Humphr-.."

"No Abigail, stop!" I concluded. "Kate has made her choice back in Jasper. What could possibly have changed that?"

I shambled into the cave. Behind me Abigail sighed disappointed and left into the undergrowth. I reckoned it was better for her to continue her travels alone from now on. She would be better off without me.

I wanted quiet. No form of interaction with anyone. I wanted to be alone. Alone with my grief and sorrow. Seeing Kate again had opened my eyes. Without her I had no purpose anymore. I had lost the desire to live. I wanted to lay down, curl up and slowly die of my bleeding heart in the dark solitude of this cavern.

 _-Kate-_

I had always been told that jealousy is a notorious and powerful force that can turn even the sweetest personality into a savage monster. Today I had seen that in the flesh. My own flesh. Not that I was one of the sweetest, oh no. I had turned away my lifelong friend and rejected the love of my life in a cruel and heartless manner. No, sweet was not the word to describe me. On the other hand, its corruptive powers had definitely changed me into a monster. A bloodthirsty beast that tried to take out an innocent wolf, who only happened to have not been so stupid as to hurt one of the sweetest personalities there was to find on this planet.

It took all of my energy, yet I managed to get moving. Slowly I headed for the creek I had came across earlier. I had to cool my thigh to reduce the pain. Hopefully my hind leg wasn't damaged beyond recovery as my heart was. It would surely make my life a hard.

On my way I kept pondering. Perhaps if I hadn't tried to kill this girl, Humphrey wouldn't have sent me away. Perhaps then I could've explained myself better. Perhaps then… Tears sprang into my eyes. Perhaps we were not meant to be together after all…

"Oh Humphrey… I'm so, so sorry." I moaned.

A pang exerted by my scratch forced me to stop and sit down. I thought of what I was going to do now. For the past couple of days my life had solely been supported by the foresight of being with him. Now that I had failed to achieve this, I felt like there was nothing left for me. I could go back to Jasper, but what would I do there? I could hardly picture my life there without Humphrey, he had always been there for me. Why did things had to end like this. More tears streamed down my face. I didn't even try to hold them back. What would be the point?

"There she is! We've been looking all over for you!"

"You left in such a hurry, we had trouble catching up with you!"

The friendly faces of Marcel and Paddy landed next to me. I wanted to smile at them, though couldn't manage to.

"Oh my dear. What happened?"

I tried to speak, yet my distress had cramped my throat and I couldn't produce a single word. The pain was too fresh. I wasn't able to think about it without crying more hence my eyes began to water.

"There, there." the goose said, taking up and patting my front paw, "it's alright."

I shook my head. It wasn't alright. I had lost him. Humphrey. My Humphrey. My cute omega. Who had been my beacon of light. Who had stood by me always. Who had risked his life for me more than once. The wolf that had unknowingly completed my life since I had met him. He was gone. Gone with someone else. Happy with someone else. Someone who hadn't turned him away.

I hadn't even noticed that Paddy had left until he returned with some herbs. He rubbed them on my thigh, making me wince. It stung harshly and made my wound tingle.

"It'll ease the pain. Trust me." he said.

I thanked him with a slight nod. If only he had something to ease my heartache as well. I thought of all the times I had had the chance to be with Humphrey. All those times I had just blindly overlooked him because he was an omega. How arrogant and spoiled had I been! I wasn't worthy of him.

All of a sudden, I heard a voice that stopped me from crying straight away.

"Hey, I thought I might find you here!"

My friends screamed out and flew away. It was my nemesis who arrived at the scene. The lonely female who had ruined my life had returned, no doubt to humiliate me even further.

"What do you want?" I replied hostilely.

"Well I came looking for you. I-eh… I'm Abigail by the way."

Abigail, how charming. She was lucky I wasn't able to get up yet, else I might have been on her throat already. It was unfair towards her I knew, however I had supressed reason and had let my competitive instinct take control again. I glared at her as she continued her awkward speech.

"I was kind of hoping that you could listen to me without trying to murder me."

I snorted depreciatingly.

"We'll see." I said.

"Okay… So, eh… it's about Humphrey."

My ears perked up upon hearing his name. I felt the rage coming back. Just her voice pronouncing his name infuriated me. My jealousy once more energized me and I stood up I slowly began walking towards her. It scared her which felt amazing to me. What she didn't know is that I only shambled because my leg still hurt.

"Easy Kate, please."

"Don't you tell me what to do." I growled menacingly.

"Just listen. It's Humphrey. He needs you…"

I halted and my eyebrows went up. Did she just say that he needed me?

"…he's completely depressed. Please you have to come with me."

She began to move. I felt exalted. Maybe he hadn't forgotten me! Then something struck me. What if it was a trap? What if she wanted me to come with her so she could ambush me? I had tried to silence her as well hadn't I? And without Humphrey around to stop her… I stumbled a few steps back. I remembered Humphrey's aggressive attitude towards me last time. He had shown no need for me whatsoever. How could that have changed in a moment's notice? No, there was definitely a snake in the grass here.

"Kate, what's wrong?" Abigail asked, seeing me back down.

"Why do you want me and Humphrey to be together? Aren't you his girlfriend now?"

"Because you two love each other. Isn't that why you came back?"

She hit the nail right on the head. It was why I had come back. I loved him, but she acted as if he still cared for me. But that would only mean that she had more reason to kill me.

"I don't believe you."

My subconscious felt otherwise. I turned around and sat down.

"Besides, Humphrey made it quite clear that he doesn't need me anymore." I said with tears coming up in the corners of my eyes.

I heard Abigail sigh.

"Look. He is really confused, that's why he reacted that way. Please, Kate…"

She grabbed my shoulder. I bit at her paw which she withdrew in a lightning fast reaction. I had enough of her meddling with my feelings nor had I any intention of simply tag along with her to wherever she was going to ambush me. The injury on my thigh shot through my head for an instant and I concluded that Paddy's herbs had indeed blocked the pain. I jumped up and ran away.

"Kate, don't -.."

"Leave me alone!" I shouted.

I cried as I distanced myself from her. I wanted to forget everything. Run away from this hurtful nightmare. Wake up and find myself sleeping next to Humphrey on the train. If only I did everything so differently. If only…

Too late did I feel the miniscule resistance my paw endured from hitting the wire. Meshes of entwined sisal rope rose from the dry leaves that covered the ground. In panic I turned on my axis multiple times, but wherever I looked, there was no way out. All around me the thick hairy net blocked my escape. If things weren't bad enough already, I had walked right into a human trap.

 _End of chapter 11._


	12. Mortal Danger

**_Another chapter. Monday my intership will start so that will put a serious limit on my writing time. But I don't want to worry you, I really enjoy writing this story so I'll still write very often. (Just love these wolves!)_  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 12. Mortal Danger**

 _-Kate-_

I sat down and observed the structure of the trap. The sides were attached to eight ropes that were strung up high above me. Reaching them was impossible. Also they were about four centimetres in diameter so even if I managed to get a grip on them, biting them in half would be a nigh impossible task. For that same reason, ripping a hole in any of the sides was not an option either. I tried to climb, yet my paws only got stuck in the meshes. There was no escaping from here. My eye fell on a small grey box in a tree above me. It was connected to one of the lines and emitted a small flashing red light. It also generated a soft beeping noise. I had never seen something like it before.

Humans had never bothered us in Jasper Park. We had always been able to live quietly without them. Occasionally one came through our territory in a car but that was about it. Of course that was except for that one time me and Humphrey were taken to Idaho. At the beginning that had even seemed like a bad thing, though looking back, I only wished I could relive it all. Because if there's one thing I learned from the past couple of days, it is that I'd rather live in a distant land with him then at home without him.

Suddenly the net walls around me vibrated. They lightly danced up and down as they were pulled by something above me. I looked up and saw Marcel and Paddy trying their best to work me to freedom. True friend they were.

"Guys, stop. It's no use."

They landed outside of my prison.

"Then how will you get out?"

"I won't, but that doesn't matter."

Marcel tapped his head.

"Are you crazy? Who knows what that hunter will do to you."

I turned my back on them and cried silently.

"It can't be worse than losing Humphrey." I said in an atrabilious way.

Despite my attempts to send them away, they continued to fight the thick sisal vines that kept me locked up. I watched their fruitless efforts, yet felt not desire to help them. Deep down I didn't even want to be saved. I had nowhere to go anyway. At least this way someone else could decide it for me. I ignored my friends' calls as they encouraged me not to give up hope. I laid down and closed my eyes. Now all I had to do was wait for the executioner to show up and pass judgement. He'd probably kill me. I deserved that. Humphrey had been so kind to me, so loving, and all I had done was take it for granted. I even kicked him out afterwards without a single thank you. What horrible wolf would do such a thing?

A faint noise had me open my eyes and get up. I pricked up my ears. In the distance I heard the bushes rustle. He was coming.

"You guys have to leave. Now!"

They gave each other a tentative look, but I urged them on to get going. Eventually they wished me the best of luck and soared away.

I heard bushes and twigs break under the weight of the incoming threat. The hunter was closing in on my location. I didn't even take on my defensive stance. I wanted fate to decide what was going to happen to me. Nonetheless I felt my heartbeat pound in my head. Every second felt like an age. He was less than a few metres away from me now. He was pretty fast for a human, although I had never actually seen one running so I didn't quite know what was to be expected. Questions started racing through my head. Would I die fast? Would it be painful? Would he even kill me? The more I pondered on how it would be, the more I came to the realization that I didn't want to see it coming. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I exhaled just as hard and repeated it a few times to calm myself. Then, the rustling stopped and I heard someone pant. I knew he was standing in front of me. I didn't want to look at him. This was it. Soon all my pain would be over. I shut my eyes even tighter as I whispered the last words I wanted to have left my mouth in this world.

"I love you Humphrey."

 _-Humphrey-_

I woke up from a sound in the distance. I shook my head. Bad idea. It started spinning and aching. Apart from that the fur in my face was clammy, my eyes seared and my throat was dried up. As I got up slowly I reckoned that I had not only cried myself to sleep as well as continued sobbing throughout my nap. I wiped the water from my face and pressed hard to the sides of my head. It eased the pain a little, but not nearly as much as I wanted it too. I looked around dazed and noted that it was noon. I hadn't slept for very long then.

Again I heard the sound, it was a feminine voice calling to me.

I strayed out of the cave and winced due to the bright daylight. I heard the voice a third time. My pupils slowly fixated on the vague silhouette that was nearing me and as they adapted to the increased illumination of the outside, I managed to distinguish its features. It was a slender wolf with a reddish fur. Abigail.

"Humphrey!" she cried.

When she stopped in front of me I shook my head. Why was she still here? She respired heavily. Clearly she had ran as fast as she could.

"Abigail, I told you to leave me behind. You should-.."

"No time… please… you have… to help her…" she panted.

"Help who?"

"She's trapped… not far… hurry…"

"Trapped? Who's trapped?"

"Kate…"

My ears perked up and my heartbeat doubled in speed. My tired and sore head had vanished, my painful eyes had become healthy and my throat had been completely hydrated. Amazing what adrenaline could do.

Kate was in trouble. Maybe I had given up on us being together, that didn't mean I was going to leave her to die. I glanced at Abigail, but she had laid down in the grass. She was too exhausted to come with me right now. I wanted to say something to her, though didn't know what. I kissed her cheek on impulse then took off. I sprinted into the underbrush and deliberately went straight through a group of bushes as it was a few seconds faster than going around them. It was worth the scratches. That little time might prove vital for Kate's survival. She had to survive. She wasn't allowed to die. The image of her amber eyes going dark made tears spring into my eyes, yet also spurred me into maximum gear.

'Hold on Kate. I'm on my way.' I thought.

It felt just as when she was about to drown in the mudslide. I had to be there to save her. I had to be there faster! I had to be there now! I ignored the whipping and swiping of the vegetation I collided with. I lowered my head to protect my face, however their blows still left flaming welts all over my shoulders and neck. I predicted a painful future when my adrenaline would have worked out. I had no idea how far it was, only that I had to be going this way. I prayed that I wasn't too late. I heard birds fly away, spooking me and slowing me down, but I quickly accelerated again. I had to save Kate. How much further was it? Abigail had said it wasn't that far. Then why did it feel as if I had been running for ages already?

I ran out of underbrush and I arrived at a small patch of bush-free grass in the forest. The shock of surprise had me stop and only then did I realize that I had hardly any breath left. I panted loudly towards the ground and it took me a couple of seconds before I could lift my head and see where I was. My eye fell on a brownish plaid structure opposite me on the edge of the clearing. It was an odd pattern to find in the woods, though what really caught my attention was the gold-brown shape behind the structure. Kate! She faced me with her eyes closed and mumbled something I couldn't hear.

I was overjoyed that I was in time to save her. I wanted to rush over, comfort her, give her a hug, yet in time recollected that I had no right to do anything else than save her. As sad as it was to me, she was now married after all. I didn't want her to feel guilty for betraying Barth in any way for what I did. Instead I merely called her name.

 _-Kate-_

My eyes shot open when I heard his voice. It was not the hunter that had found me, it was Humphrey! The intense heartrate which I had tried to subdue by my respiration exercise speeded up again upon seeing his face. He was still breathing heavily, but immediately seized the net and began pulling it. He had to have been running as fast as he could and he didn't even wait to recover before trying to save me. He did still care for me! I wiped a tear from my right eye by the thought of it.

"Oh Humphrey, I'm so happy to see you." I said.

He mumbled something with his mouth full of rope which I couldn´t comprehend. I just gazed at him. His ruffled manes shook up and down as he heroically yanked at my prison wall. I could watch him for ages. When his blue eyes caught sight of me, he let go of the net and repeated himself.

"Kate, instead of staring you might wanna help breaking out of here? Or do you want to stay captive?"

"Not anymore…" I let out dreamily.

"What did you say?"

"Uhm, nothing, I-eh… nothing." I looked away and blushed.

Together we pulled as hard as we could at the net, yet there seemed to be no tearing it apart. He inspected the structure of the woven wall. Again I sat down and admired him as he looked puzzled at my problem. I couldn't blame Abigail for choosing him as a partner, he was so adorable up close. How come I never noticed? I had been close to him more than often had I not?

The moment shattered as I heard a snapping branch. Someone else was coming, and this time it could only be one other.

"Humphrey." I hushed.

"Not now Kate, I'm thinking." he replied absent-minded.

"Humphrey!"

"What?" he said.

His royal blue irises were so pretty as he looked at me questioningly. I wanted the moment to last forever, but the sounds of more cracking plants brought me back to reality and had him look back as well.

"The hunter is coming, you have to go!"

"No, Kate. I can get you out!"

"There's no time. You have to go without me."

"But Kate-.."

"Just go!"

"Why?"

"Because I love you!" I cried.

He stared at me astonished. Behind him the loud noise of a car neared. He wanted to rebut me, however I didn't let him. There was no time to waste.

"Please, Humphrey. I don't want you to get hurt for me. You have to leave!"

He looked at me sadly, yet before I allowed him to leave I felt the necessity to say one last thing.

"Oh Humphrey?!"

He glanced at me with sheer guilt in his eyes.

"Thank you for everything."

Then I watched him disappear into the bushes behind me.

Not a moment later a big pickup truck crashed through the vegetation and halted in front of me. A big muscled human with a cap stepped out. He wore a red shirt with torn off sleeves and jeans with holes in it. His brown and sturdy boots intimidated me with each step. He stopped in front of me and laughed. I faced him with a lifted head as he aimed at me. I felt no emotional pain anymore. I had told Humphrey how I felt before I died as well as saved his life by sending him away. I had righted my wrong as best as I could have. Just when I expected a gunshot, out of nowhere a grey silhouette smacked into the man's chest. Humphrey hadn't left! He was here to save me again! Then I realized that he was going to get himself killed for it.

"What are you doing! Get away from here!" I shouted at him.

But in the heat of battle he didn't hear me. I watched as the man stumbled to his truck and reached for something. Humphrey snarled threateningly and leaped forward to tackle him. Mid-air we both figured that he had made a mistake in doing so. The hunter took a piece of timber from the back of his car and hit Humphrey against the head. The blow knocked him unconscious. I howled as I saw him hit the ground. Then I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I opened my eyes and looked straight down the barrel of the hunter's rifle. I hadn't even heard the shot.

My legs weakened and my head started to spin. I fell on the ground. My eyelids became heavier. This was it. I was shot . I was dying.

A fierce growl and I heard the man cry out. Although my vision was so foggy I could hardly see what was happening, I recognized Humphrey anytime and anywhere. He was once again in a fight with my captor. I wanted to yell at him, tell him it was too late, tell him to save himself. I couldn't produce a sound. Slowly my sight went black and all the sounds died out.

"Farewell, Humphrey…" I thought.

 _End of chapter 12. _


	13. Revelation

_**Despite my long day of work, I have another chapter for you! I'm not sure however that I'll be able to update the next one on wednesday. I'll try, but no guarantees this time.  
**_

 _ **Also a quick question to other writers on fanfiction. Are any of you receiving an error too when trying to open the 'Trafic Stats'? I'm having it for quite a while and I was wondering if anyone else has the same problem? Thanks anyway!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 13. Revelation**

 _-Kate-_

"Kate… Kate… Kate!"

The whisper turned to calling as the voice became louder and louder. I woke up and found myself lying in an enormous field. All around me tall white grass waved in the wind. It stretched out to every horizon. The air above me was dark grey and the clouds in it were silver as they reflected the light of two cerulean suns. Under the latter two, an enormous black mountain rose so high, the top touched the clouds. I had no clue where I was now, although I was certain that I wasn't in Banff anymore. It was a magnificent landscape, even with its unorthodox colouration.

"Kate!" someone called out.

I turned around and got the shock of my life.

"D-dad?"

I saw him slowly walk over to me. I was so surprised to see him that I was lost for words. He greeted me with a firm hug. It was so good to see his face again that I unintentionally started weeping..

"What's wrong sweetheart?" he asked.

"B-but how?" I sobbed.

"How what?"

"You died, how can you be here?"

He looked at me meaningfully.

"I never really died, Kate."

"But… We buried you!"

"You are confused. You buried _my body_. I myself live on as a memory inside of Lilly, your mother and in you."

"So… This is a memory?"

He looked around as if to check whether I said was true.

"No, I don't believe it is. Do you?"

I recollected the last events that had befallen me. I remembered getting trapped in the net and Humphrey trying to save me. How he had fought bravely but in the end failed to prevent me from getting shot. Shot! That was what had happened! I had been killed! This wasn't a memory. This was the afterlife.

"I know what it is, I'm dead." I let out sadly, "We're both dead."

He chuckled and shook his head.

"No Kate, you're not dead."

I raised my eyebrows in astonishment.

"What? But I got shot. I remember getting shot! The pain in my chest, the black-out…"

He interrupted me by laughing warmly at my apparent ignorance. I had missed his voice, but that didn't mean I put up with him making fun of me. I was sure that I had been killed.

"Why are you laughing? You think dying is funny?"

"Oh my sweet girl. You were only shot with a tranquilizer dart." he waved his paw around, "All of this, it's just a dream."

"I am dreaming this?" I let out incredulously.

He nodded.

I looked around in amazement. I felt the wind blow through my fur. I reached out and let the grass tickle my paw. I watched the suns as they gracefully shone their rays on me. How could this all be just my imagination?

"It all seems so real. Well, apart from the strange colours."

"They're not so strange, Kate. I'm sure you'll recognize them."

I thought deep and realized that my dad had a valid point. It all looked oddly familiar. The pattern in the sky was just like a wolf's fur, and the grass beneath me was like its white belly. Subsequently, that made the mountain the nose and the blue suns the eyes… That was it! That's why the environment was so amicable to me. Everything here looked like Humphrey! My father read my facial expression and sensed that I had seen the light.

"You see, all you had to do was just take some time. Just as in the real world, all pieces will come together if you just give them enough time."

He turned around and walked away.

"But dad. What has happened to me if I didn't die?"

"Wait and see Kate, wait and see…"

His voice slowly faded away as did he himself.

"Dad! Please don't go!"

My surroundings started to melt and the grass, clouds and sky all merged with the mountain. Although scared at first, I noticed that I myself was unmoved by the swirling world around me. I watched in awe as it began to take on the shape of a wolf's snout and when I opened my eyes, I gazed right at my most favourite face in the world.

 _-Humphrey-_

I was aroused by a serious headache. I rubbed my head, accidently touching the painful bruise on the side of my skull. The twinge had me bite down hard. On top of it, the welts on my shoulders and neck itched irritatingly. As I had predicted, I had an unpleasant time waking up.

It was almost night and the sun had almost set. In the evening light I managed to distinguish that I was in an iron barred cage. It stood in the back of the pickup truck that had dropped of the hunter back at where Kate was trapped. Suddenly I was jumped by fear. Where was she? What had happened to her? Was she okay? I was quickly reassured as I found her lying behind me. She was still unconscious, but therefore no less beautiful. I smiled as she muttered something in her sleep. I wanted to listen closer to what she was saying, yet was afraid to disturb her if I got to close. She was like a full moon: quiet and radiant. I caught notion of the wound on her thigh. It was a large gash and looked a few days old. I reckoned it posed a serious handicap. Nonetheless she had been a brisk wolf lately even able to put up a fight with Abigail. I only hoped she hadn't sustained this injury because of me. I could never forgive myself if she had.

Her ears twitched by the sound of an owl. I gazed at her enamoured. It was undeniable. Never could I love a she-wolf more than her.

I had gladly risked my life back there to save her. I had waited in the shrubs behind the net to ambush the hunter just as Abigail had taught me to. Unfortunately he had been a stronger opponent than I had estimated. Again I felt the harsh pain where the piece of wood had hit me. Not that I wouldn't have tried to save her if my calculations had been more accurate. It was worth more to me to see her roam free than to ever draw breath again myself. When I had seen the hunter point his gun at her I had thought I had been too late, but I never heard a shot. Even when he had it aimed at me I never took notion of gunfire. I had just felt a sting in my shoulder and had slowed passed out only to wake up here.

It had me wonder where 'here' was. I took in my surroundings and quickly came to the conclusion that we were back at the small village I had crossed earlier. I recognized the train tracks and the road I had travelled from here after missing it. Why had he brought us here? Was he going to send us back or something?

"Dad! Please don't go!" Kate groaned.

I noted that her eyes were still closed. She talked in her sleep and by the sounds of it she had a nightmare. I walked over to her and nudged her cheek. Lovesick as I was, I hoped she wouldn't wake up so I could to touch her soft fur a second time however she immediately opened her eyes. I hadn't even pulled back yet. Our faces were only half a metre apart and at this range I got mesmerized by the citrines. Their perfection snared me into an unbreakable stare and a memory shot through my head. It was from the last time I had been caught by the chestnut brilliance.

' _Because I love you!'_

Had she really said it back there? If she had, what would that mean for us? Wasn't she still with Garth? She couldn't really have said it, could she? Besides, how could I have forgotten something like that if she had? The memory was so real. No! It was impossible that she had said it. It had probably been my imagination running wild on adrenaline.

"Hey." she said softly.

That voice, those cheeks, that nose…

"Hey yourself. Slept well?"

I didn't want to make a joke, though I was so nervous being so close to her that it went by itself. She stretched out and smiled. The butterflies in my stomach went berserk. How could I have ever been angry with her. Suddenly she looked worried and pointed at my injury.

"Your head…"

"I'm fine." I said looking away.

"Hold still."

Before I could even try to do otherwise she gently pushed me into lying down, placed her paw under my chin and started licking my wound. It hurt as she did, but it also felt incredibly thrilling. I shivered and my hair perked upright. Was she really doing this right now? I could hardly fathom it. It was like I was in heaven. The cheerful thought crossed my mind that perhaps the memory wasn't imaginary after all. Too bad I was so high in the clouds that I didn't even notice her question. She seized treating me and repeated herself.

"Humphrey?"

"Wh-what?" I mumbled, descending back to earth.

She giggled.

"I asked you if you knew where we are?"

She clearly hadn't missed the part where I had openly enjoyed her taking care of me. I blushed and cleared my throat. I contemplated a way to sound empirical, however I knew for a fact that I wouldn't be able to regain my dignity anymore after undergoing her licks so dreamily.

"I-eh… we're at this village. The train passes through here and eh… Well, actually that's all I know."

 _-Kate-_

I chuckled as he tried to make himself sound distant. It was not in his nature to do so. I too looked around and noticed that it was the village where I had my near-death experience. I remembered the engine driver with the gun all too well. He had almost caught me back then. I turned back to Humphrey. He didn't dare to look at me. I guessed he felt guilty as he might think that his feelings towards me are a betrayal towards Abigail. Truthfully, I too found what I had done unfair towards his new girlfriend. I had no right to put him in this position. That didn't mean however that I hadn't enjoyed it. I had seen his goofy smile when I had been licking his bruise and god forbid, I had loved it maybe even more than he had. I had never dreamt of such an intimate moment with him after our breakup. I even regretted asking my question which had ruined it.

"So… what now?" I said, trying to break the silence.

"I think we have to wait it out." he answered.

"Yea, wait and see." I replied, thinking back of what my dad had said in my dream.

' _All pieces will come together if you just give them enough time.'_

Another moment of silence passed by. I was thinking hard of what I could say to him. Nothing came to mind. All I wanted to ask was whether he still really loved me back. I knew it was inappropriate to ask, that was the only reason that I didn't. He was no longer single and I didn't want to become that wolf who stole someone else's mate. Unexpectedly he brought up a subject I had completely forgotten.

"How did you get that?"

He pointed at my thigh. The herbs Paddy had given me had neutralized the pain even better than I had dare imagine. Or maybe it was still dulled due to the tranquilizer? Either way it didn't even hurt a little bit. The memory connected to it on the other hand was still a difficult topic. I took a deep breath and began explaining to him how I had fallen off the cliff trying to save my father from a stampede. With pain in my heart, I also told him I had failed to do so and that he had died. He placed his paw on mine and his eyes glistened from the lamppost behind me when he looked at me.

"I'm really sorry about Winston, Kate. He was an amazing wolf, but from what you just told me, there was no way you could've saved him."

"I could've!" I replied as the emotions of that moment re-entered my mind, "If I had married Garth then it would never have happened."

"Wow-wow" he let go of me and did two steps back, "what did you just say?"

"That it was my fault?"

"No-no, after that!"

I had no clue what he meant.

"That if I had married Garth…"

Saying it out loud had me understand why he looked at me in utter amazement. So that's why he had been so reluctant to share his feelings with me. All this time he had been thinking that I was married to Garth! How stupid of me! It had never crossed my mind that he of course didn't know! I had been remiss in not mentioning this small yet vital detail earlier. Maybe that's why he had been so angry with me as well. He looked confused as he processed this new info. I wanted to take his paw and tell him that I had broken off the wedding for him, though again I was held back by my conscience to not put him in a position where he had to choose between me and Abigail. As if the thought of her worked like a cue, we heard a voice.

"Psst, hey!"

I turned around and saw a dark silhouette near the truck.

"Abigail? What are you doing here?" Humphrey demanded.

"What does it look like I'm doing" she tapped on the bars of the cage, "I'm here to bust you guys out of course."

 _End of chapter 13._

* * *

 ** _A small word of thanks to 'Troygroomes'. He mentioned Winston's spirit earlier in a review. I know it's not exactly what I used here but the foundation was based on his idea. Thanks for letting me use it!  
_**

 ** _Kind Regards, J. Caesar_**


	14. A Tough Choice

_**Hey y'all, I'm sorry that this update took a while longer and regrettably future ones might also take longer. My days are long and soon my mother will undergo a surgery so she'll be needing a helping hand. It means I'll have less time to write. I'm sure you'll all understand and again, thank you for your kind reviews. I'm glad you like my story!  
**_

* * *

 **Chapter 14. A Tough Choice**

 _-Humphrey-_

I was happy to see her, yet a part of me was disappointed that she had found us. If she hadn't she would've stayed safe. Now she was in danger too. As I looked from her to Kate and back I realized with guilt that this was not the true reason for wanting her to stay away. The fact that Kate had engaged in an intimate moment with me by herself proved that she had come all this way to find me for the best reason possible. She loved me back. Additionally, learning that Kate was _not_ married after all meant my lifelong dream was only a nose length from coming true and the reappearance of my fellow lone wolf had more or less thrown a spanner in the works. No, it was unfair to blame Abigail, she had been more than kind to me and although I didn't love her the way she loved me, I couldn't simply abandon her for Kate. Besides, there was another problem that posed itself. As alpha and omega Kate and I weren't supposed to be together. On account of pack-law we'd be exiled and I didn't want her having to live that way because of me. Regrettably, the only way to end this impasse was by making a choice between the two of them and frankly, I didn't believe I could ever do that.

"What's with you two?" Abigail asked suspiciously.

Kate and I exchanged a glance. I was certain my cheeks glowed as I remembered the warm licks on my forehead. We both looked away blushingly, replying simultaneously.

"Nothing."

Abigail shook her head and I choose to change the subject quickly.

"How do you plan to get us out of here?"

We stood a much better chance of getting out of here with some help from the outside that was certain, but it was still going to be far from easy. The sisal rope had already been too much of a task, how would she ever manage to break this iron-barred construction? Abigail scanned the area. Voices followed by laughter emerged from the tavern. She drew a big grin.

"You leave that to me. You continue chattering as I was never here, okay?"

"Wait, Abigail…" I tried, though she was already gone.

"What do you think she's planning?" Kate thought out loud.

"I don't know. Hopefully something that works so we can get out'a here."

"Yea, get out'a here…" she repeated woebegone.

Strangely I shared her disappointment. I didn't mind being stuck in this cage if it was with Kate. Moreover, it would mean I didn't have to make a choice between these two she-wolves any time soon. Once we were free, that impossible decision will not be long in coming. A brief moment passed by as I gazed into the distance. What should I do…

I noticed Kate staring at me.

"What?"

"N-Nothing." she said hastily and looked the other way.

If only I knew what she thought right now. But wait a minute, did I not? She had told me she loved me and more importantly, she had indicated that she wasn't with anyone right now. It had left a door open to a whole new future, one of us being together. I pondered again on how amazing that would be. Guilt nagged in my gut, which I knew was caused by Abigail. In truth there was no spot for her in that life. Kate and I, it was all I had ever wanted. The chance was here and now! I'd settle things with Abigail later.

"So… you're not married?" I said awkwardly.

I gave myself a mental slap in the face. What an idiotic way to bring up the subject.

"Ehm, yea. I'm not married." She chuckled.

"That's great… Well I mean, it's not that great… Or it is if you like to stay single. But if you don't it kind'a sucks… Let's say it can be great if -.."

"Humphrey."

Her calling my name was enough to put a halt on my blabbering. It was probably just my befuddled brain, although I had never heard someone pronounce it more beautiful. I cleared my throat.

"Y-yes?"

"I know what you want to say."

"Really?"

She nodded.

Truly? Was she thinking the same thing? Fantastic!

"Really, I get it. You're with Abigail now and I don't want to break that up…"

Wow, wait. How did she get that idea? I felt a big boulder fall down and crush all my hope in an instant as I recollected that in my former rage I had denounced me and Abigail being in a relationship myself. Now I had to tell her that I lied about that, also to Abigail. Hell, what had I got myself into.

"… so don't worry. I won't make this any harder for you. Once we get out of here, I'll go home and leave you two be."

"Kate, listen I…"

We heard a door slam shut and a spotlight crawled closer to us across the gravel path. The beefcake of a man that had captured us this afternoon walked straight for us. With a flashlight in his hand. he halted in front of us. He nearly blinded me as he grinned and shone on us.

"As soon as the train gets here, I'm gonna ship you off to Edmonton. They're sure gonna love you two at the zoo back there." he taunted.

I growled at him. I had no idea what a zoo was, but I had no intention to go anywhere and neither had Kate. He pointed his finger at our cage.

"Be sure to lose that attitude before you get there."

I bit at the extended digit and he was quick to pull back his hand. He laughed at us. Then I heard another voice snarl at the hunter. It was from behind him. He turned around slowly and anxiously as the flashlight glistened in her eyes. Abigail. Her face was literally that of a ferocious rabid wolf. Never had I seen her this full of hate, not even when we first met or when she had spoken of her past. It seemed as if she contemplated killing the man. Or didn't she? My instinct told me that if she wanted him dead, she wouldn't have growled, but merely would've ambushed him.

"E-easy." the human quivered.

He reached again for the piece of wood he had used against me. Too bad for him it wasn't the only thing in the back of his pickup. I barked at him as he got close to his weapon. In a fright he pulled away and realized that he wouldn't be able to grab it now that our cage stood there as well. I sought eye-contact with Abigail, though her focus was solely on our common enemy.

"Easy…" he muttered, "nice wolf."

"What is she waiting for." Kate whispered.

I shrugged. Meanwhile Abigail strayed closer to the man, cutting off his escape to the village. He was stuck between the forest and the deadly animal. He made himself small and held his arms in front of him as protection should she attack. Abigail turned her head to us and then back to her adversary. It wasn't until I spotted the consequence of this action that I reckoned she had done so deliberately.

"A-are those your friends?"

Abigail barked. The hunter appeared relieved to have found some form of leverage and reached shakily into his pockets. Because of his nerves he clumsily dropped a pair of keys on the ground. When he tried to pick them up, Abigail dashed forward, making him stumble backwards in panic. He covered his face with his arms as he fell on his back in the grass. In a swift motion she snatched the keys and raced back to us. Behind her the man made a run for the safety of one of the houses.

"Nicely done." I complimented her.

"Thanf." she replied with the keyring locked in her teeth.

She stuck one of them into the lock and tried to twist it. Apparently it was the wrong one.

"Hurry up." Kate exhorted.

The man had entered the tavern and incited a great deal of commotion inside.

"Yes!" I cheered.

The second one clicked and the door swung open. I jumped out of the truck and urged Kate to follow my example. She looked hesitant.

"The last time I made this jump I grievously injured my leg, I don't think I can do this."

I remembered the injury on her leg. If it was as bad as it had seemed, she might collapse when she hit the floor. An idea came to mind.

"Step on me."

I stood next to the car and offered myself as stairs. She carefully treaded onto my back. She was heavier than I thought. My clownish nature immediately had me think not say that to her out loud. When she was solely leaning on me, I went through my knees and allowed her to get off. Afterwards we quickly went after Abigail, who awaited us at the edge of the forest. I saw the hunter and two other humans already coming after us again. They all had guns with them.

"Where to now?" I asked, glancing back at our pursuers.

"I'm not sure, I never scouted this close to the town. I think it's that way."

As we ran I could hardly see where I was going. Out in the open near the town, the half-moon had been a proper torch for distinguishing the obstacles. Here, in the undergrowth, the light was filtered by the trees and shrubs and I saw little of anything apart from Abigail's tail. I looked up through the canopy and noted that clouds gathered. They shielded the half-moon's light, dimming the environment even more than the trees already had. This short loss of attention had me crash into our frontrunner.

"Watch it!" Abigail sparked crankily.

"What? I like jumping you too, is that a problem?" I quipped.

It took a second before my answer sunk in but when it did, she laughed.

"Touché."

"Why have we stopped? They're still hot on our trail." Kate complained.

Abigail made an apologetic gesture and pointed at the steep mountainside in front of us.

"Sorry for not climbing already, perhaps you'd like to go first?" she added cynically.

"So you lead us the wrong way?" Kate blamed her.

"I didn't hear you volunteer for tracker!"

"Don't think that because you're Humphrey's girlfriend that I won't kill you!"

"Wasn't that the reason why you wanted to do so in the first place?!"

They snarled at each other menacingly. Of all wolves it happened to me that two aggressive beautiful alpha she-wolves were about to pounce one another in order to have a relationship with me. It would be a major understatement to say that I had had worse days.

"Ladies please, we have to get going."

"You're right hon, let's go."

Abigail kissed me on the cheek and strutted away. Kate shivered in anger, yet presented an, although evidently fake, adorable smile to me when our eyes met. I shook my head when she too vanished into the underbrush. Women… Then I grinned. Correction, _my_ women. Suddenly they came back in a hurry. I looked at them quizzically although their frightened faces spoke for themselves. The humans were closer than we had hoped and we weren't able to turn around. The only way left to go was up and everyone knew that was impossible. A climbing wolf, the idea.

"We have to go up." Abigail said.

"She's right, it's our only option."

I gazed with an open jaw as my ladies commenced the hazardous climb.

"You can't be serious." I laughed nervously.

Unfortunately they paid no attention to me whatsoever. Before I had even touched the steep cliff, the alphas were already five metres above me. Moving carefully, I managed to go higher and higher, yet with the moon- and starlight gone I had even less vision on which rocks I could get a grip on. I stared in jealousy at the elegant and agile manoeuvres by which my female congeners neared the top. My occasional hesitation to lean on the jagged stones made me go at a snail's pace and I was merely half-way when both she-wolves stood on the edge, looking down at my clumsy clambering. I even thought to notice a certain amusement on both their faces. I had heard rumours that alphas were slightly sadistic. I guess it's their competitive nature that makes them enjoy other animal's failures.

Unexpectedly I heard clamouring underneath me.

"Humphrey! Quickly, they're here." Kate cried.

"Really, you think?!"

"Just hurry up and leave the sarcasm to us!" Abigail seethed.

"Oh great, they're backing each other up now?" I muttered to myself. "I wonder whether they'll still do that if I-.. Aah!"

A sharp sting in my back surprised me. My eyelids became heavier and I felt drowsy. I caught a glimpse of the terrified faces of Kate and Abigail before my sight started to blur. They hit me with sedative, it wouldn't be long before…

My paws slipped, I lost my foothold and I plummeted into the depth. The cliff itself might just have been ten metres high with me at a height of merely six, drugged as I was I wouldn't be capable to break my fall in any kind of way. It would probably kill me or worse, maim me permanently. How unfair life was to me! I have two pretty girls fighting over me and I never got to choose either of them. Just when I thought I would die, I was caught in something springy and I bounced up and down without sustaining a scratch.

'Well, lucky me…' I thought as the image of the hunter in front of me turned black.

 _End of chapter 14._

* * *

 ** _Dear Guest,_**

 ** _This is a personal message to a Guest review (who I can't address otherwise since he is a guest). You requested: '_** the situation being: Kate doesn't marry Garth but can't find Humphrey so Humphrey is forced to become a true lone wolf but returns to the pack about a year or 2 later' ** _. I think the idea is indeed a nice one, however I believe some people are already writing something like it. 'Humphrey's Darker Side' by Hikers123 has Humphrey return after a couple of years, although I know that he has the marriage between Kate and Garth persist._** ** _I believe 'Too late for love' by Kellylad13 follows the idea you mentioned as Kate is still alone when Humphrey returns to Jasper. If you like neither of these, I can consider granting your request once I've finished this one._**

 ** _Kind Regards, J. Caesar_**


	15. Unwanted Allies

_**Hey.**_ _ ** _ **Good news!**_ I've still managed to have a next chapter ready today. Have fun reading!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 15. Unwanted Allies**

 _-Kate-_

My heart stopped when Humphrey lost his grip on the mountainside. In an automatic reaction I cried out. I was about to lose him. I was unable to save him. My veins narrowed and a cold took hold of my entire body. It pinned me into a final stare in those lustrous blue eyes of his. Tears flooded my vision. I blinked as quick as I could in an attempt to see as much of him before he landed. When he was about to hit the earth, I winced and looked away. Strangely I heard nothing. No cracking bones, no sickening splatting sound. I looked down. The humans had prevented the deadly outcome by catching him in a net. I was relieved, though not happy. Quite the contrary. They now had him prisoner again! For a second time, I contemplated leaping down to save him. It would be a useless effort. Never could I tackle them all before they pumped me full of tranquilizer. Moreover, how would I drag him away from there? Suddenly Abigail pulled me aside, then one of the red plumed projectiles whizzed by me.

"Are you nuts, you wanna get yourself shot?"

"But Humphrey is-.."

"Caught! Don't act like I don't know. Our best chance to save him now is not to get caught ourselves, alright?"

I looked at her. I disliked her severely. That made it even harder for me to admit that she was right. I nodded reluctantly. I knew fighting them now would only end badly, although doing nothing felt plain wrong. We crawled over to the edge to observe our enemy. There were five of them, all with guns. Our former captor was called Jeff. Clearly he was not the man in charge. While the rest had no interest in following us up the cliff, he thought differently and this led to an argument.

"We got one wolf. I ought to do, Jeff."

"But they're up there! It's only a short way 'round to get up!" he answered indignantly.

"It's late. If you had just kept them locked up we wouldn't have had this problem."

"Yea, if you wanna go out there and find them in pitch-black, go ahead. We're leaving." another added.

Evidently supressing his anger, the hunter lifted the net with Humphrey in it on his back and tailed his fellow humans into the shrubs back to the village. After a couple of minutes we climbed back down and began stalking them. Our prey might be downwind, lucky for us a human nose was pathetically weak in detecting any scent whatsoever. When they reached the town, three of the five guys went inside whereas Jeff and another put Humphrey back in our cage. They exchanged a few words, took it from the truck and put it in the grass. That was strange. The other guy joined his friends in the tavern. Jeff however went the opposite direction and entered a small hut.

"This is our chance." I whispered to Abigail.

I prowled out of the shrubs, but before I could run towards him, I felt a strong grip on my paw. I fell over and was pulled back into the green.

"Hey! Let go of me!" I snapped.

She granted my request and I got up to demand why she had stopped me. She looked at me as if I was insane.

"More than one reason actually. First off, how had you planned to get him out of the steel cage?"

I opened my mouth, yet closed it without a word. I hadn't really thought of that. My urge to save him had been more or less of an impulsive.

"Second, have you paid any attention to where the hunter went?" she gave me a brief moment to think before continuing, "No? Precisely. He's waiting for us in _that_ shabby house over there. You can even see the light of the lamppost reflect on the gun barrel."

I narrowed my eyes to observe the hut in detail. She was right again, the metallic shine was undoubtedly that of Jeff's rifle sticking out of the small window. He knew of course that us three were friends. Well sort of. Anyway, Abigail had come for us earlier, he probably figured we'd show up for Humphrey as well. My eyes drifted off to the grey hairy mass in the cage. Poor Humphrey. I blamed myself for him being stuck there. It pained me not by the least. However, what pained me even more was the fact that Abigail didn't even make an attempt to free him. Did she even care for him?

"If my plan's so bad, what's yours?" I challenged.

"There's nothing we can do _now._ We have to wait 'till tomorrow."

"You want to leave him?" I shouted.

"Sssh!"

The urge to give her a smack in the face rose higher than ever before, but the fact that she was once again right held me back. We were too close to the town for me to start yelling. If they heard us, they might send out another search party. Like a spoiled kid being towed away by his mother from the playground, I followed Abigail as she led me to the nearest hideout she knew of.

"No! Not this thing again. It's way too cold to be sleeping in this place!" I argued.

It was the half-buried tree stump that I had used last time. I remembered very well how my entire body had frozen up the next morning and I had no intention to endure it again.

"I know, but it's the only thing in the area. Besides if we huddle together it'll suffice."

I gazed at her briefly. She didn't seem to know what troubled me.

"You want what?!"

"Huddle together. You know, lay close, share warmth, sleep comfortably."

"Yea I know what you want, but -.."

"Then why do you ask?"

"Because I don't want to huddle with the person that stole the love of my life!"

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. She said nothing, however she didn't had to. It was my own conscience that filled in. She didn't steal Humphrey, I had lost him. There was no version in which I could truly blame her for the way things unfolded. Not that it made us friends. Reasonable as the explanation was, it was far from satisfying.

"Look, I was just trying to be kind. I've slept in colder places than this, so it's no big deal. I only thought you might want to huddle since you said it was too cold. If you think you're okay then forget I ever said a thing."

She made herself comfortable in the corner and closed her eyes. She was a detestable person. How could Humphrey like her. She was a sarcastic, stubborn, persistent know-it-all. Well, her fur shimmered beautifully I had to give her that. I looked at my own. Which one would Humphrey like better? I pained my memory. I felt disappointed as I didn't even remember his favourite colour. A faint light fell on me. It was the moon. The clouds had opened up and the glowing semi-sphere illuminated me. It reminded me of my howl with Humphrey. It seemed ages ago though it was only a couple of days since. A drop of water rolled down my nose as I stared at my front paws. I howled, not realising that there was still someone behind me.

"Hey! Knock it off. I'm trying to sleep!"

"Sorry."

It was an automatic reply, one I regretted almost immediately. I didn't need to apologize for my sadness. Especially not to her. Shouldn't she be missing him too? I yawned. If I'd ask it would probably give rise to a new quarrel and it was already very late. I glanced up at the moon one last time and then went inside. I laid down at the other side of our shelter, which was actually no more than a metre away. The ground was hard and unsupportive. It took me real effort to find a pose in which nothing ached.

"How can you sleep here?"

"The first step is to stop talking." she responded cynically.

I frowned insulted, but she had never opened her eyes so she likely didn't see. Angry as I was, seeing her doze off relaxed arose an uncertainty in my chest. I laid down my head and thought of the statistics. If I compared our survival skills, Abigail definitely had the upper hand. She had been a lone wolf for who knows how long. She was used to hunting alone, sleeping along, being alone. I on the other hand was used to a highly socially interactive environment where everyone helped everyone else. I wasn't really trained to cope with solitude, I was a real pack-animal. My trip to Idaho for example might just as well have ended in a great disaster if Humphrey hadn't been by my side all the time. I would've drowned in the mudslide, or been ripped apart by a bear.

I shivered, yet not by the thought of death.

I looked over my shoulder and witnessed Abigail already being fast asleep. How was she not cold? I couldn't blandly go over to her now and lie down next to her. The shame would be unbearable. Moreover, she wouldn't accept it anymore. I surely wouldn't if I were her, not after my own aggressive response. No. I had to accept the consequences of my choice and try sleep this way.

As expected, my mind focussed on Humphrey. It did every night. I missed him even more than before I had found him. He was so close now, but unreachable. I knew I had told him that after our escape I would leave him and Abigail alone. In truth however, I wondered whether I could accomplish that. My love for him had become quite an obsession. I had serious doubts that I would be able to just let him go like that. It was his face that smiled me to sleep at night and no-one else's.

My body tremored and my breath formed a white plume of fog. I peeked over my shoulder again. It was so tempting to sneak up to her and accept her kindness. I caught myself thinking this and wondered whether the near-arctic temperature had also cooled my anger. When I shivered for the third time I decided to cast aside my pride and I moved over to her.

"Abigail? Can I-.."

"Finally! I was already wondering when you'd stop shivering over there."

"You heard that?" I asked flabbergasted.

"Why do you think I wasn't sleeping yet. You're so noisy when you're cold."

I wasn't even mad. Hell, her reaction was actually kind of funny. She had every right to be sarcastic about my behaviour. I settled down next to her. Her back was warm and soft. It reminded me of my mom. I wondered how she was doing and how Lilly was doing. I missed them both. Hopefully I got to see them soon again. I also thought of the rest of the Western wolves. Would the unison of the clans have persisted? Would the abolishment of the ranks still go on harmoniously? And what about Marcel and Paddy? Where had they gone to after I got caught? Eventually I fell asleep, tired of worrying about everybody I knew.

 _End of chapter 15._


	16. Saving Humphrey

_**Hey guys.**_

 _ **I didn't have any time during the week so I've written during the weekend only, hence my sunday-night update. For those interested, my mum's doing fine at the moment. They've allowed her to heal further at home pending the outcomes of the last control tests. So that's good news.**_

 _ **Kind Regards,  
**_

* * *

 **Chapter 16. Saving Humphrey**

 _-Humphrey-_

My morning began with another searing headache. Darn sedative. I rose up and knocked my head annoyingly hard against the roof of my residence. Great, another bruise for the collection. Stupid humans with their tranquilizers and cages. I heard that some of them were awake to, however from the back of the pickup I couldn't see them. My head stopped spinning and I was able to think again. I had dreamt of howling. At least I thought it had been a dream. I didn't know whether I had been awake or asleep when I heard it, but the mere sound of it had been enough to put a smile on my face. It had been a gorgeous voice that had echoed throughout the dark. I wondered what or who it had belonged to and whether it had been real or not.

The sun slowly rose from behind the rocky horizon. It would be light soon.

I started to remember a few thin of last night. We escaped, we climbed and I fell. I saw the panicky faces of Abigail and Kate, though it is the chestnut eyes of the latter that really stuck in my memory. How one of the flashlights made the tears sparkle within them. No matter how hard I tried to think back of Abigail, I simply couldn't recollect as much details of her as I could of Kate. I had to face reality. Kate was the one I truly wanted, yet how could I say that to Abigail without hurting her. In my head a memory replayed. It was Kate trapped in the net. _'Because I love you'_. Immediately the sensation of her licking my wound followed. I shivered as I remembered every stroke on my forehead. Kate was perfect in every way. I sighed enamoured.

"Psssh!"

I broke free from my thoughts. I looked around. No-one. Was I beginning to imagine things? First the howling and now this?

"Up here."

The bold head of a goose appeared upside down from above my prison.

"Marcel?"

"What happened?" Paddy asked as he popped down next to his friend.

"Well, we got trapped, we escaped and eventually I got trapped again."

They exchanged an exaggerated look of marvel to emphasize that my explanation was anything but elucidating. I didn't care at the moment. There were more important things at hand. When the time came, I'd tell them. _If_ the time came.

"You don't happen to know how to open this?" I questioned, pointing at the lock.

The sportsbird laughed scornfully, loosened his neck muscles with a cracking sound and was handed a club from his caddy. As he attempted to pick the lock, Paddy took the liberty to ask for more details.

"So you were caught a second time?"

"Yea."

"But not Kate?"

"Nope, not Kate."

"Then, what happened to your lady-friend?"

"Lady-friends, plural." I replied slightly proud.

"What?!" he exclaimed.

"Ha-ha! I like this wolf more every time." Marcel laughed.

The duck shook his head.

I narrated last night's events as far as I could recollect them. He nodded understandingly as I said that my memory was a bit blurred by the tranquilizer. According to him it was one of the side-effects. Headache was another I knew from experience.

Out of the blue Marcel cursed out loud. With an infuriated expression, he held the broken club in his hands. The lock was still as integrant as before. Paddy handed him another club. He frowned as he proceeded more gently now. The eventual outcome was the same however. Nonetheless the golfer was anxious to beat his iron adversary, resorting to a more aggressive method this time. It didn't take long for the third club to shatter as well. He let out a cry of desperation.

"Zut alors!"

"What did he say?" I questioned.

"Nothing worth repeating, I assure you." Paddy answered with a shameful look.

Admirable as their efforts were, they got me nowhere. Abigail had been able to get me and Kate out of here before. Maybe she could manage to do so again. I mentioned her name, raising serious fear in my two buddies.

"C'mon. She's done this before and besides, Kate's with her. She'll protect you."

After discussing the matter briefly, they seemed to trust me enough to do as I asked of them. They promised me that they'd return as soon as possible and flew away. As I watched them leave I realized that I had lied to them. Kate hated Abigail and this was likely mutual. Chances were they had parted almost instantly. On the other hand, it was not impossible that they teamed up to free me. I didn't think either of them was going to leave me behind.

I heard a slamming door and I recognized the noise of human footsteps coming for me. I gulped as Jeff bend over to me.

"Time to go buddy." he said.

 _-Kate-_

I snuck up to the town. Prowling through the grass, I saw Jeff who had dozed off in his chair next to the pickup truck. Once I reached him, I carefully took the keys from his belt. He continued to snore as I headed for the wagons. I climbed into the train and walked over to Humphrey's cage.

"Kate, I'm so glad to see you!" he said.

I blushed.

"Ssh, he might hear you." I whispered.

Suddenly a diabolically loud laugh and the steel cage was towed away from me. I tried to follow up, yet found myself chained to the floor. I tried to break free, without success. The cage got smaller as it kept distancing itself from me.

"You will never see your friend again!" the hunter taunted.

"No! Give him back!" I yelled.

His hollow laughter made me shiver. Humphrey's silhouette became smaller and smaller. His voice faded in the distance as he called out to me. I couldn't save him. I was losing him. Again!

"Humphrey! Noooooo…"

My eyes opened wide. I rose to my feet and discovered that I was covered in sweat. My imagination had produced a gruesome nightmare. One I hadn't been able to wake from. What if it would really happen? No. Impossible. Still, the dream had been a real eye-opener. If I wouldn't act now I'd lose Humphrey a second time, maybe forever this time. In a couple of minutes it would be light enough to call it morning. Behind me Abigail was still snoozing. The thought occurred to me that if Jeff wouldn't take him away, she might. That made her just as much my enemy as that human hunter. Despite her kindness of last night, I decided to go alone.

As I got up I reckoned I had to thank her for keeping me warm. The scratch wasn't stiff nor was it painful as it hadn't suffered from the cold. At least I had one thing less to worry about. I tiptoed away inaudibly and left the reddish she-wolf behind. It was a piece of pie. Because my father had been very watchful of me and Lilly during our childhood we had both built up lots of experience in leaving unnoticed. Moreover, to cope with my mom's excellent hearing we had quickly perfected the art of silence as well. This had been a great help during my hunting too by the way.

It took me perhaps a quarter of an hour to leave the den quietly and reach the village. Once I got there, I scanned the area carefully, counting two humans roaming around the edges. I circled the town to get to the tracks. To my horror, three more people were at work there. They loaded cargo on and into the train. The sun was leaning on the horizon and it was bright enough to see that one of them was the engine driver. Luckily he wasn't armed this time.

About half-an-hour passed as they tirelessly filled every coach. My eyes had been shooting back and forth constantly to detect any sign of Humphrey. Sadly, I had not seen him. Perhaps my dream had only been a dream. After all I had no evidence apart from my gut feeling that they planned to bring him anywhere by train. Just as I intended to leave, my eyesight warned me of another human. It was Jeff. He held the big iron box I had so frantically been searching for.

"Hold on Humphrey, I'm here." I mumbled.

Jeff got reprimanded by the other two for being late. The engine driver tried to help him with the crate. Humphrey bit at him and he pulled backed away. I sniggered. Not that it was funny in any way, it was just that seeing him alive and kicking made me happy. Jeff placed him somewhere among the cargo after which he boarded the passenger coach. This was the third in the line of seven, right after the train engine and the coal wagon. Humphrey was in the fifth. I had to get on board. Maybe Abigail had been right and I didn't think things true as of late, but I'll be damned if I let them leave without me. The second man was smoking a cigarette. He was the last person in my way. I couldn't get on without him seeing me and I had to remain undetected.

A horn was blown and the vehicles began to move.

"Oh no." I let out anxiously.

If the man wasn't going to leave any time soon I couldn't get on. And if I couldn't get on…

"Kate!"

Paddy and Marcel. I didn't know where they came from or how they had found me, but there was no time to ask. I peeked back and saw the man still sucking the small paper roll. Behind him the train was beginning to accelerate.

"Guys quick. I need to get on that train."

"What, why?"

"Humphrey's on there."

"No, he was in a cage." Marcel corrected me.

"You spoke with him?" I exclaimed.

"Well yea, he asked us to get Abigail."

A blade pierced my heart. He had asked for her, not for me. No matter, I said to myself. He still needed to be saved.

"Please. The train's leaving. I need a way to get on."

They nodded. Paddy knew that the train would be making an S-turn further ahead, where we could intercept it and where it would be moving slow enough to hop on. Tailing my avian friends, the saddening words of Marcel roiled in my stomach. They were conclusive evidence that Humphrey had moved past _us_ and had chosen Abigail as his mate. Not that it made me less keen to rescue him. I'd rather see him with her than leave him in the hands of the humans. Who knew, maybe if I saved him he would change his mind? No. That was a vile thought. Stealing another's mate was a terrible thing to do. Yet ever since I had met Abigail I had begun to understand how one could contemplate this action.

"There it is!" the duck yelled excited.

We arrived at a small hill that formed a wall around the outer bend of the second half of the S-turn. I could already see the smoke of the train as it was going through the first corner. In the brief moment we had left I posed to them my last problem.

"The only obstacle left is to get him out of that steel box."

We all thought out loud and discussed some ideas. Not that I actively contributed, the nearing train had me too nervous to think. As usual, it was Paddy who provided a realistic solution.

"In theory, you don't necessarily have to open the lock. You could try to force the bars apart far enough for him to slip through."

I hugged him for his brilliant insight, almost squeezing him as I heard his breath hamper.

"Don't thank me yet. You'd have to apply a considerably large force to bend metal that far."

"We'll figure something out." Abigail said.

"Whoa!" all three of us cried out thunderstruck by her sudden entrance.

None of us had heard her arrive. I felt as if I was caught in the middle of running away from home. I had done so once, after which I had been found by my mother. The combination of shame, regret and agitation was similar to what I endured now, only with the shame being more like guilt. Guilt for locking her out of my rescue mission.

"Look, if you're here to stop me you'd better turn back around." I challenged.

"Stop you? Gosh no. I'm coming with you!"

 _End of chapter 16._

* * *

 ** _Another small remark. I think I'm nearing the close of my story. All good things come to an end. (Gosh that sounded arrogant.)_**

 ** _Kind Regards,_  
**


	17. The Train

_**Hey guys. My update is a little later because the chapter got a little bigger than I expected. Hopefully you're as satisfied with this chapter as I am. Kind Regards,  
**_

* * *

 **Chapter 17. The Train**

 _-Kate-_

I gazed at her with an open jaw. Coming along? Had she not said that rushing in blindly was a bad idea? Had she not convinced me that my idea was a bad one? A few seconds passed until Abigail spoke again.

"I said, I'm coming with you."

"Yea-yea I heard you the first time." I replied a little unfriendly thus I apologized. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

The train engine emerged from behind the corner. Marcel urged us to hide on the other side of the hill so the driver wouldn't see us. Lying flat in the grass, we waited for the train to pass us by. Then I remembered that she wasn't even supposed to be here. I had left her at the tree-stump.

"How did you find us?"

"I was already awake when you got up."

"Seriously?"

"I followed you from the moment you left. I reckoned it would be better to let you work alone."

"What, why?"

She blushed and stared at the ground.

"At least you had an idea on how to get him out. My mind stayed blanc…"

I played with the thought of letting her know that my plan was actually not a plan at all. I had dreamt that they were going to take Humphrey away by train and on good faith pursued that trail. I had just been lucky that it had unfolded that way.

"…I was afraid that if I'd be around, your hate towards me would ruin that plan."

"I don't hate you." I soothed, although she and I both knew this was rubbish. "Okay, maybe a little. But that's just because …"

I stopped. I wasn't sure that she would like what I was going to say. He was after all _her_ boyfriend now. She might take it the wrong way if I'd blandly state that I-..

"of Humphrey?"

I gulped loudly to which she reacted with a smile.

"Relax, I don't blame you, he's a real cutie. Besides, I've known it for some time already. I came to get you before you were caught, remember?"

"Oh yea. I had completely forgotten…" I admitted. "Now that you mention that, why did you?"

"Let's say that Humphrey and I haven't been completely honest when we told you we were a couple."

They weren't a couple? So Humphrey and I could've been together all along? My mouth fell open, yet I didn't have time to state my astonishment as Paddy interrupted. He alerted us that it was time to board. We sprinted to the top and Humphrey's coach swished by us. I leaped and was airborne for a brief moment. It felt amazing and had me wonder what flying would like. When this was over, I had to ask Marcel or Paddy. The impact on top of the sixth wagon sent a sharp pain through my leg, however I absorbed most of the blow with my knees and retained my balance. Abigail was less lucky.

Upon touchdown, her paw slipped from the plain roof. She tumbled and rolled towards the gap in-between our coach and the next. In a blind reaction I dashed towards her and seized her tail with my jaws. I heard her cry out in pain, or perhaps it was in fear of imminent death. Either way I pulled her back up. The combination of tension and physical exertion had us both breathe heavily.

"My tail might hurt for a day or three… but I think I owe you my life… Thanks." she panted.

I laughed in between my gasping. I was glad with what had happened. I had imagined a situation like this before and always I had had the anxiety that I might think of leaving her to her to fate. That would be too cruel, even for the jealous me. I was relieved that this choice hadn't even occurred to me just now.

"I might hate you, it doesn't mean I'm gonna let you die like that." I joked back.

"I can see why Humphrey loves you so much. You have a good heart Kate."

My cheeks burned. Not just by the compliment. The fact that someone else than me said that Humphrey had eyes for me made it more real. So deliciously real. My Humphrey loved me back.

"C'mon. We're not done yet."

Slowly we moved over to the next train wagon, the fifth.

 _-Humphrey-_

It was dark inside the wagon. Since they had closed the doors, hardly any sunlight had reached me. I vaguely recollected what everything around me looked like, however I had already forgotten the details. My ears perked upright by the sound of a thump. Then a second, followed by a bloodcurdling death cry.

'Abigail!' I thought afraid.

I started to pace, as much as the cage allowed me to. All sorts of awful thoughts emerged in my head. It had sounded as if she had hurt herself. Had she fallen off? And the second bump. Kate. That means they were together. But how, they hated each other's guts. Had Kate pushed her from the train?! No, she couldn't. Or could she? She had tried to kill her before, hadn't she? Oh god please, tell me that _that_ hadn't happened. I hurt more noise and two more slams, this time on the ceiling above myself. I heaved a sigh of relief. They were both still alive.

I listened impatiently for either of them. Personally I didn't know how they were going to get down here, although I hoped it would be soon. I couldn't stand waiting any longer and not knowing what was going was beyond irritating. A hatch in slid open and the pretty face of Kate shone its grace on my dark prison.

"Humphrey!" she called out.

Abigail appeared on the other side of the opening.

"Hey. Need help?" she asked teasingly.

"Yea sure, now that you're here." I remarked back.

It was unbelievably good to see their faces again. I heard two more voices coming from above. Marcel and Paddy no doubt. One of them said they'd be watching out for danger. The she-wolves climbed down, fortunate that the goods were piled so high. They could almost walk down. I noted Kate limping a little, yet when I asked about it she said it was nothing. I hoped she wasn't holding herself big.

"Any idea on how to break this thing." I questioned, tapping the metal.

"That's work in progress."

"Paddy suggested to use something to bend the bars."

"Well, there's plenty of stuff here so…"

I didn't have to finish as the ladies had already begun opening crates. Some of them were too tightly shut or stuck underneath others however thus not all were accessible. After a couple of minutes my hope started to grow thin. We were running out of boxes and hadn't found anything yet. To make matters worse, another problem posed itself.

"Wolves! We have incoming." Marcel yelled.

According to the goose a man was climbing over the wagons to get here. Abigail agilely ascended and peeked over the edge. She informed us that it was Jeff again, with a gun. Probably he had heard the noise of the cargo plundering. We were running out of time and out of options. Kate, who had proceeded breaking in let out a joyful 'yes'. She had found a container with a tools among which a crowbar. They employed it to create a lever to tear up the grating.

"Alright, one, two, three, push!"

Abigail and Kate leaned against the metal stave. The steel moaned, yet bent very little. They repeated the action several times and even slammed it a time or two. The final result was not even half of what we had hoped to achieve. I could never squeeze myself through.

"Hurry up wolves! He's getting closer!"

"What is… plan B…" Abigail panted.

Kate shook her head. They were exhausted and out of ideas and every moment they were putting themselves more at risk. I knew that if they were to stay, they'd be captured too and I didn't want that on my conscience.

"You'd better go while you can."

"What? No way!" Kate exclaimed.

"Listen. There's no time. You have to go without me."

Kate drew an ironic look and then laughed at me. Abigail shared my surprise.

"I don't see what's so funny" I frowned, "I'm not letting you two endanger yourself for me."

"Wait, you mean you didn't do it on purpose?"

"Do what?"

"You literally quoted me when I was stuck in the net."

I dug in my memory and came to the conclusion that she was right. Amazingly enough I could replay that entire moment in my mind to the smallest detail. I also heard her say it again: _'I love you'_. I looked at her and sensed that as I had then, she was not going to leave me. I glanced at Abigail. I couldn't read her mind though. Once more I realized that my connection with her was much weaker.

"Anyway. You didn't leave me then, don't expect me to run off now." she stated proudly.

"Okay then." I gave in, "But at least hide behind the cargo."

"Wait."

Abigail picked up the crowbar and hooked it behind the lock of the door. She did a few steps back and tackled it. With a precarious crackling sound the bolts were torn out of the wooden wall. Subsequently, she opened the door a few centimetres. It let in some light as well as the rumbling noise of the train traveling over the iron tracks.

"There. Now he thinks that we've escaped."

Then she vanished from sight in the blink of an eye. When did she ever got so good at deception? Kate was about to follow her example when something humorous came to mind.

"Wait, Kate."

She stopped instantly and gave me a glance with her gorgeous citrines.

"Yes?"

"Thank you, for everything."

Her smile turned upside down.

"Now you're just making fun of me." she said agitated.

I grinned and winked at her. Luckily she could see the joke of it. She smiled back and hid in the back of the coach as well. Just in time actually. Heavy pounding echoed across the room as Jeff stomped over the roof towards the hatch. I read the anger on his face when he appeared in the opening. The barrel of his gun pointed at me and made me uncomfortable. It was a different one than before and my instincts told me he wasn't using tranquilizer this time.

"Where is that beast." he grunted.

He took a flashlight from his pocket and shone all around the inside of the wagon. I prayed that my girls had hid themselves well enough. As long as his stare remained grim, I assumed he had not seen either of them. The door slammed shut with a loud noise after which it slid open again since it had no lock anymore. It caught Jeff's attention and he let out a thundering swear. He stumbled down the unopened crates and halted in front of the door. He grabbed hold of it and leaned over to stare outside.

"How the hell they a couple of wolves break a lock?"

In the corner of my eye I caught sight of Abigail as she prowled towards him. Jeff had no clue. The outside light made him blind to the darker inside. Her ambush would have succeeded if the hunter had persisted his gaze a fraction longer. When he turned around he was just in time to see her jump. In a reaction he let himself fall sideways, dodging her attack. With no room to brake she hit the wall beside me at speed.

She lay on the floor groaningly, dazed by the impact. Jeff wanted to kick her out of the train, yet out of the blue Kate entered the scene. The man was caught completely by surprise, giving her enough time to sink her teeth into his upper arm. He cried out in pain and tried to knock her off. The strange dance lasted a few second until he grabbed hold of one of Kate's ears and pulled hard. She had no choice but to release her grip. He wanted to hit her with his gunstock, however she dashed backwards, making him shatter a plank in the floor.

Kate now had her back against the other door, the lever of the lock poking the back of her head. She turned pale as the barrel aimed for her. She thought her last hour had struck. Something snapped in me. Never would I let _her_ be killed. In blind fury, I charged the side of my cage so savagely that the whole thing toppled and landed on Jeff's foot. The weight came down as unexpected as it came in hard. He screamed, squeezing the trigger without aiming properly. Kate cringed as the hail blew up the lock just above her head.

"Kate, look out!" I yelled.

In horror I watched how the lack of restraint allowed the door to slide open. The thundering noise of the wheels across the iron tracks intensified. The resistance Kate felt in her back vanished and she lost her balance. Her effort to push herself back inside failed as her injury made her collapse. She fell backwards and disappeared outside.

My breathing stopped, my heart cramped and tears sprang into my eyes. She could never survive a fall from the train at this speed, not on her back. She wouldn't survive. Kate was gone. Jeff laughed satisfied and walked over to me. He crouched in front of me and pointed his finger at me. I couldn't care. My hate towards him was a minor stir compared to the grief I felt by seeing my soulmate tumble into the abyss.

"Your friend made a mistake in underestimating me." he taunted.

Ironically it was _he_ who had now made a fatal miscalculation. Abigail jumped him, tossing him into the cargo with a bone shattering force. He cursed us and tried to get up. Sadly for him, his movement tremored across the crates and at the top of the pile a small box began dancing on the edge. As if not yet sure whether to fall or not. However when Jeff spotted it too, it came down and splintered onto his head. From the wailing sounds he made I drew the pitiful conclusion that he was still alive. Unconscious and bruised to the bone, but alive.

"Finally. I've been wanting to do that for so long already." Abigail cheered.

She caught sight of my tears.

"Relax, Kate's fine."

I looked at her astounded. Was she joking?

"She ended up in the water."

"Water?"

She nodded and I heaved a sigh as if I had been holding my breath for a day. She smiled.

"Now let's get you ou-AW!"

I looked up and saw another human in the roof-hatch. His rifle aligned with Abigail and I saw a red feathery plume sticking out of her thigh. The glistening emerald of her eyes was repulsed as her pupils widened.

"Abigail, Abigail stay with me." I spoke to her.

"Humphrey…" she started to push my cage towards the exit of the coach. "don't…"

"Don't what?"

"Don't come after me."

"What do you m-.." In an instant I realized what she was about to do. "No, Abigail. You're coming to!"

"I can't… He'll come after you… If I stay… perhaps… he won't…"

"You don't know that."

"I have… to try…"

"But Abigail-.."

"You won't... change my mind…" she interrupted.

I knew this was true because I came to know her as even more stubborn than Kate. As I was balancing on the edge, we shared one last look. Her breath was getting more difficult and I noted that she leaned on the cage to keep standing.

"One last thing… Talk to Kate… Don't wait too long as I did… with my dad… It ends badly. "

I nodded slowly.

"Okay." she sighed.

I saw the other human had stumbled down the crates and was now feeling the held Jeff's wrist to determine his pulse. She smiled at me one last time. I leaned forward to kiss her nose. Then she braced herself for a final push.

"Goodbye Abigail."

"Farewell Humphrey…"

Then, her image swished away as I fell out of the train.

 _End of chapter 17._


	18. When Two Halves Join

_**Hi all. It took some time, but I have here the final chapter of my storyline. I tried to make it as good as I possibly could so hopefully I succeeded at that. You'll find a broader final note at the end of the story.  
**_

* * *

 **18\. When Two Halves Join**

 _-Kate-_

I crawled out of the freezing river onto the dry bank. The soil under me turned muddy as I shook the water from my drenched fur. I walked a little further and dropped myself in the grass to warm up in the sun. My limbs were shaking from the cold. I wanted to yell, I wanted to cry, but I had no strength to do either. I sighed and closed my eyes. Disappointed in myself I was for letting myself get kicked out so easily. Lucky for me, we had been crossing a bridge when it happened. It had broken some of my fall. If it hadn't, I would probably have died.

I heard birds singing. A couple of mountain bluebirds happily embraced each other.

It had me wonder whether I was indeed _that_ lucky. Now that I had survived, I faced an existence without the love of my life. Humphrey was still getting carried further and further away from me. As I thought of it, my nightmare had come true after all. Jeff had won. He had stolen my soulmate forever. Perhaps it would've been better if I had died.

Suddenly a golden eagle swept by and snatched one of the blue birds. It was a terrible thing to witness. Its partner chased the bird of prey in a desperate attempt to rescue his or her mate. Although it was obvious that the effort was in vain, the bluebird did not give up. Admirably, the little thing kept going on. Then, I don't even know how, the victim managed to break free from its captor's talons. Together, the two quickly descended and hid in the foliage. The eagle circled twice and then gave up. How fortunate for them. Even with the odds all stacked against them, they pulled it off.

It gave me a moment of clarity. I was now in the same position as the bluebird. My partner was also taken away. The big difference was that I had given up instead of pursuing. Why? I was stronger than this. I had already come after him thus far, so why stop now? Simply submitting like this was not me. No matter what the odds, I had to try again and again to save Humphrey.

'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.' I encouraged myself.

When I rose to my feet, my thigh stung harshly. Like an old adversary, I was unpleasantly surprised by its reappearance. The cold had subdued the pain and I realized that waiting to warm up might have been a mistake. On the other hand, I wasn't really capable of going anywhere when I was all frozen up either. Luckily it lessened as I continued my stroll back to the train tracks.

"Kate! Kate!"

I gazed around, spooked that nobody was around.

"Up here!"

I looked up. Marcel and Paddy sat in a tree nearby.

"Hey guys, what are you doing _there_?"

"What everyone should do. Hide for that flying demon!" Marcel quivered.

"Flying dem-.. Oh you mean the eagle."

"Yes.! That hellish creature with its fiendish eyes and wings from Satan itself!"

I knew it was impolite, yet I couldn't help but snigger at his exaggerative description. Naturally they too were threatened by the golden eagle. If it had had the chance, it would try and make a lunch out of them. I explained to them that I had seen it leave a few moments ago, however they couldn't be convinced. As a result I continued on my one. It wasn't long until I crossed the tracks again. Against better judgement I peered into the distance whether I could detect a sign of the last coach. Then, before I could pick up my earlier pace I heard a moaning sound.

I tried to locate its source, causing me to run into the strangest object I had ever seen. It took me a few seconds to figure out that I was staring at Humphrey's cage. He was no longer inside however. The door was torn out and the bars were bent on multiple sides. Clearly it had fallen out of the train just as I had and in the process it had sustained enough damage so that he could get out. Again the sounds of agony. It had to be _him._

"Humphrey?!" I called.

A faint voice answered.

"Humphrey where are you?"

Before he could reply I already found him. He was lying upside down in a shrubbery. I asked for his condition, but he only said that he was very dizzy. 'That was to be expected if you fall from a train and hit a rock at speed' he said. I smiled. He was still his usual self and I was happy to have found that self in one piece. It could have ended very bad for him, and for me too actually.

"Kate…"

"Don't worry, I got you."

"I… I…"

I listened closer.

"I love you Kate."

Then he passed out, leaving me with rosy cheeks. My body filled with a feeling warmer than any sun. I wondered what had happened to Abigail. I hope she had made it out of the train, however not finding her here with him implied that she probably hadn't. I didn't feel real urge to go and find her, yet it was not that I wished her dead. Not anymore at least. Strange, how my attitude towards her had turned 180 degrees a few hours ago. Since she had wanted to aid in my plan I had begun to respect her a lot more. Still, Humphrey's health was much more important to me than hers and even though I didn't hate her, that didn't mean she was no longer competition.

I looked at the furry grey body in front of me. I had to take him somewhere safe and in the most gentle way possible I lifted him on my back and started to move away from the tracks. I peeked back to see if he was lying comfortably. It seemed that way. Unintentionally I shivered. Finally I had my Humphrey back.

 _-Abigail-_

It was dark and small where I woke up. Humphrey's image was still branded on my retina. It stood clear against my black environment. From what I recollected, I had awoken in a box, being brought to somewhere far away on multiple means of transportation. First by train and judging from the sounds by truck as well. I had been tranquilized twice on the way. The only two times I had seen light as it had shone through the small opening through which the dart had subsequently been shot in my paw. A few seconds ago we had stopped and I was now waiting nervously for anything to happen.

I heard humans and I was picked. I growled, yet this only seemed to amuse them. As my box swayed on the rhythm of their movement, I got a little nauseous. I hoped we'd reach our destination soon. Moments before I was about to throw up, my wish was granted. They slid me against a wall and as their voices weakened I knew they were walking away. When my head stopped spinning I started clawing and stomping the walls of my prison. It was no use.

I lay down. At least Humphrey was safe. Or that is what I hoped. What if he had got hurt when I pushed him out? What if he had died? No. No, I pushed him out in an open field. Besides, if he did hit something, it would merely break his cage. No, Humphrey was fine. In contrast to myself. Where was I?

A buzzing sound broke the silence. Something clicked above my and all of a sudden, one of the walls of my prison opened up. At first I was afraid that something was lurking out there. My instincts whispered that this was all too convenient and that danger was near. A man called to me as he tried to spur me into leaving the box.

"C'mon girl. Don't be shy. It's alright."

He sounded sincere, yet I refused to leave the relative safety of my current confinement.

"Okay, you asked for it."

Before I could guess what he meant, the back of the box pushed me outside in an abrupt, ungentle manner. Behind me the hatch slammed shut. As my eyes adapted to the light, I took in the details of my environment. It was peaceful and quiet. Maybe I had been transferred to another park, like Humphrey had been. Yet if that was true, I wouldn't have been placed here alone. My hairs perked upright. Was I truly alone? Quickly my eyes slid across every detail of the landscape. It seemed as if I was alone. Too bad I only realized I wasn't as I was tackled to the floor. A large stature stood over me. It was another wolf.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Depends…" I replied.

"On what?"

I grinned and hooked his hind leg reversing our positions. I was on top now.

"Who _you_ are."

He smiled at me. Stunningly handsome he was. His dark-grey and black fur was slightly ruffled, yet very well groomed. He was muscular too and I had no doubt that he could turn the tables on me any time he wanted. Why didn't he?

"I'm Grey."

The masculinity of his deep voice was overwhelming.

"I can see that." I answered.

His laughter was no less perfect. Who was this guy and why was he such a godly stud. I realized too late that I was staring at him. To my own disgrace I found myself almost drooling over him.

"As much as I love seeing you up close, would you mind letting me get up?"

I blushed and stepped aside. Once he got up, I noted that he tightened his muscles as best he could when stretching. He was clearly trying to impress me. It worked. I was not amazed by the least by his overall shape.

"Where are we anyway?"

"Calgary Zoo."

"Zoo? Isn't that some kind of prison?"

"Depends on how you see it. You're not able to go anywhere that's true, however we're well looked after. Plenty of food, water, space and if you're injured or ill, they'll fix you up in no time."

"Sounds suspiciously good to me. Are you sure they're not plotting something evil?" I asked observing a large window on the other side of the habitat.

He laughed.

"Your paranoia is very cute, but you can relax. From here on it's just you, me and occasional tourists behind _that_ glass over there."

I chuckled.

"You haven't even told me your name yet?"

"A-Abigail."

I felt like a stuttering silly schoolgirl, though maybe that metaphor was spot on. After all, I was new here and judging from our different attitudes towards being in this zoo, I had a lot to learn about this place.

"Well Abigail, I think you and I will be getting along júst fine." he said grinning intentionally.

My cheeks glowed. It sounded like heaven. Food, water, safety… Him…It appears that for once life treated me well. After years of wandering alone, I had ended up in paradise.

 _-Humphrey-_

I fluttered my eyelids as the daylight touched them. I couldn't remember a thing from yesterday and now I was in a cosy den. It was early in the morning although I already heard the birds sing. I yawned. It sure was warmer here than my previous sleeping places. As I tried to stand up, I noted something restricted me. It was only then that I noted Kate lying next to me. She had dug herself into my side and was sleeping with her head on my paw.

Whatever had happened, I liked it. I nudged Kate's cheek. She mumbled my name and cuddled up to me even more. The feeling of her intimacy was indescribable. I looked outside. We had quite a view from up here. It was similar to the one I had had earlier with Abigail. As the sun rose from the horizon. Its rays made the crystal lake glisten. One could hardly think of anything prettier. I smirked as I immediately rejected that thought. Nothing was more beautiful than Kate. On cue, she yawned expressing her comfort and rubbed my shoulder with her head. Her hair tickled me and I chuckled. Sadly this woke her up.

"Humphrey?" she said vaguely.

"Hey Kate. Slept well?"

She smiled adorably and gave me the answer I'd cherish forever.

"I'll always sleep well with you nearby."

Unaware that I even had the guts to do so, I bent my head to hers and our noses touched. It was a kiss that could just as well have lasted the rest of our lives. When she finally broke it off, she stretched herself out. I walked to the end of our den to observe the magnificence of Banff. It was truly breath-taking. The lake, the mountains, the coniferous woods, they all lay in quiet harmony. I caught sight of a small, smoking object as it rode past the water's edge. When Kate sat down next to me, I pointed it out.

"Reminds you of something?" I questioned with a grin.

"You mean our last journey or our holiday in Idaho?" she joked and placed her head on my shoulder after I stopped laughing.

I was so happy to see that she felt the same ever-burning love for me as I did for her. We merely sat together for a couple of minutes without saying a word. We both just enjoyed being together.

"I'm sorry I left Kate." I said eventually, "I should have proposed to you before the wedding instead of running away.

"I'm glad you did…" she leaned forward and whispered the last words in my ear, "…look how it worked out."

Beyond my control, my tail started wagging. I shivered in excitement. Then something struck me.

"But what about the pack-law? It still prevents us from being together and I don't want you to live away from your family because of me."

She smiled playfully.

"Perhaps I should've told you that pack-law was abolished."

"R-Really? Are you saying-.." she interrupted me with an infinite and amorous kiss.

As I closed my eyes, I realized that all my suffering had not been for nothing. Finally being together with Kate made it all worthwhile. Looking back, all my trouble was a mere blink in comparison to what happiness my future now offered. After all this time alone, my broken heart was whole at last.

 _End of the storyline. _

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_**Hey my dear fans!**_

 _ **I hope you all enjoyed my story. I myself surely had a great time writing it. I just love Kate and Humphrey as a couple. I find the fact that they each have feelings for the other already from the beginning of the movie truly adorable (at least that's what I believe to have seen). Despite my disliking towards the (in my view) broken sequels, I am really fond of them as a couple. I also grew fond of Abigail, hence I've given her a happy ending too. Shocking as it might be, intially I had planned to let her die in the final chapter. It is up to you to decide whether I did good or not by choosing to spare her :) .  
**_

 _ **I was considering to make another fanfic for Alpha &Omega, but I feel the obligation to write for/finish my other stories as well. I'm sure that when the time comes, you'll find another input from me in the Alpha&Omega archive. Please share with me your overall opinion regarding the story's plotline, character(s), character personalities, my vocabulary and my grammar. Especially the last two really interest me as I believe those to be my bottleneck. **_

_**Again, many thanks for following my story and special thanks to those that have already reviewed. I really appreciate your support!**_

 _ **Kind Regards, J. Caesar**_


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